Innocence of Mine
by Tuxedo Will
Summary: Nabiki Tendo is unwillingly put in touch with her inner child.
1. Chapter 1 Butterfly into a Caterpillar

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

_Those characters that are original and the story "__Innocence of Mine__" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi._

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com domain. Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Prologue - **_**To Foreshadow Just a Little**_

**I**n Nerima, a mother cradled her newborn in her arms and sighed before letting the nursery drift into silence. Her baby sniffled for a moment but remained asleep. She smiled down at her daughter. A slender finger reached up to gently caress a tiny cheek. The room was illuminated only by the streetlights and the few porch lights outside. In this darkness, the young mother rocked her child and allowed her mind to wander.

She wasn't quite sure when she became aware of the presence in the room. Slowly her head rose upwards seeking out the intruder and found a small bent form. Rivulets of white hair seemed to drift in the small air currents about the room. She felt instant fear and worry as recognition settled upon her. Her baby began to fuss.

"Peace," the voice said softly, sounding faint and tired, "Peace, Nabiki-chan."

"Kaji?" she inquired quietly. When he nodded, she continued, "I... I thought never to see your face again."

"And that was my intent, but I felt a need to say good-bye."

She felt a lump form in her throat. With an effort, the woman turned her attention back to her daughter. After the infant quieted, she raised her eyes again and regarded the ancient man. "I wanted to congratulate you on the birth of your daughter, Nabiki-chan. I was very honored to be able to watch you grow." Nabiki blinked in surprise. "Your mother would be so proud of you."

"Okaa-san?"

He nodded, gave her a little smile, and said, "_Sayonara_... Na-chan." And with that, he faded from the room. For the first time in years, Nabiki felt terribly lonely.

# # # # #

**Chapter 1 - Butterfly into a Caterpillar**

**N**abiki Tendo moaned softly as she slowly clawed her way back to consciousness. Her brain felt muddied and slow. Even through the muddy haze, it seemed to sense that something was very wrong with its host.

Slowly, almost painfully, the seventeen year old's senses started reporting data. First to report were her shoulder muscles, which were stretched taunt and apparently supporting the rest of her weight. At first, she couldn't tell if she was lying down or standing. As more of the fog cleared from her mind, Nabiki realized that neither was the case - she was hanging. 'Where am I?' Trying to shift was useless because whatever was holding her wrists up were also restraining her ankles and legs as well. That "_whatever_" felt slimy, cold, ethereal.

Her senses of smell and hearing arrived next. The scents, which came to her, were humid, warm, and intense. At times, they were soft and gentle yet at other times, they were sharp, almost bitter. Sound did not provide many clues to her situation. Everything, save her own breathing, was vague, indistinct.

Her eyes slid open and blinked. Her mind took several minutes to try and piece together what she was seeing. The room itself was suffused with a reddish-orange light. The walls and floor were covered in black vines. But her opinion about the "_vines_" changed when they seemed to move on their own volition.

Looking at herself, her mind, now starting to come into full force, rapidly assessed two important points. Firstly, that she was completely naked and secondly, she was hanging spread-eagled apparently supported by the black vines. If she didn't know any better, Miss Nabiki Tendo would have said she was the victim in a hentai movie.

"Kami-sama! This has something to do with Ranma," Nabiki grumbled. There was no other explanation. Ever since the young martial artist and his sometimes-panda father arrived at their home, life had been chaotic. Her full attention was drawn to the floor as a loud, almost grotesque sucking noise began. She stared in wonder as the floor, apparently made of the same black vines, rose up in a pod shape and after a moment, fell away to reveal an elderly man.

"Konnichiwa Tendo-san," he greeted her in his soft, almost whisper quiet, voice.

"Kaji?" the teen questioned, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Here? I wanted you to see my home... so we could properly meet. Alleyways are hardly conducive to good conversation." He smiled but it did not reach his eyes. He stepped closer. "You see, Nabiki-chan. May I call you Nabiki-chan?" She shook her head no. "As I was saying, Nabiki-chan, we have much... Oh so very much to discuss."

"Nani? What do you mean?" Nabiki demanded, not at all feeling the confidence that was put into her voice.

He smiled. However, this time it did reach his eyes, which glittered with anticipation. "Why, my dear young lady, you showed an interest in being cruel - almost sadistic."

"Nani? I was never cruel."

"Honto?" he asked, placing a time-aged hand on her cheek, "Have you forgotten all those little '_jobs_' you had me do for you?" The middle Tendo daughter swallowed hard. "Now, how shall we begin?"

"By letting me go, Kaji."

"Perhaps... If you survive the advanced lessons." He smiled charmingly.

"My family will be looking for me," she warned.

"I'm glad you think so, Nabiki-chan. I'm looking forward to meeting..." There was a tense, almost painful, moment of silence before Kaji jerked away and grumbled out, "Iie! I just can't do it!"

"N-Nani?" Nabiki questioned after a moment of puzzlement.

"I just can't be evil! Even if you deserve it," Kaji almost practically wailed. The old man, or what appeared to be an old man, moved as if to sit down. He might have landed on the floor had not a mass of black vines moved and formed a crude chair. "Kami-sama! I can't even get the mood right!"

His captive's mouth twitched. 'Could there be profit in this?' "You're a demon, and you don't know how to be cruel, ne?"

"It's not my job."

Nabiki snorted in disbelief but then gave a yelp as something impacted her right buttock. She turned around and found one of the tentacles waving admonishingly at her.

"Now now, Mamo-chan, don't be impolite to our guest."

"Mamo-chan?" Nabiki asked, still looking warily over her shoulder.

"My _assistant_," Kaji answered while patting the vines almost affectionately. He got up and paced, the chair sunk back into the floor as he did so.

She watched the disguised demon pace back and forth for a few moments before remarking, "You have to have some of this right, Kaji. I mean I'm trussed up here naked. That hentai Happosai would..."

Kaji stopped then gave her a quick look up and down. "Uh... Gomen, that was Mamo-chan's idea." He blushed. "I have to admit you are quite lovely." The old man snapped his fingers and Nabiki gave a yelp of surprise as she was unceremoniously let go. She landed with a mild thump onto the floor of the room. She realized she was also fully clothed; albeit the frilly pink party dress, white socks with red bows, and black leather Mary Jane shoes that she was wearing would not have been her first choice.

"So what now, ojii? Taking me to your little great-granddaughter's birthday party?" she taunted, trying to gain the upper hand in their negotiations. Of course, no one could mistake the sexy teen for a child's playmate.

Kaji grinned. It was almost sad, yet playful sort of smile. "Oh, you've just given me a good idea." The young woman blinked in puzzlement so he explained, "You see, Nabiki-chan. You've been a pretty large pain in the ass for me... although not as big of a pain as some people have. Happosai is by far larger and demands more of my time than most."

"Honto? He does?" She had not realized the two had ever met much less had had dealings.

"Hai... He keeps breaking summoning contracts with demons and then they come to me to have it settled."

"You're an arbiter, ne?" she deduced.

"Hai, you could call it that," Kaji agreed, "Of the demon variety. As such though, I can't be... evil if you will. Still, there must be balance. Tit for tat. That sort of thing." He smiled ferally and this time, it wasn't very reassuring. "But I think I've found a way to pay you back some."

"Oh yeah?" Nabiki questioned while crossing her arms over her chest, "How?"

"Iie, Nabiki-chan. I'm going to place you under the authority of one of the people you torment the most, that being one Ranma Saotome."

"I see... You mean to compel me to fulfill our fathers' marriage contract, ne? Being his wife would be a pain," Nabiki remarked smoothly, "But I could handle it." She immediately began scheming to turn it to her advantage. 'Hai, I already have Ranma eating out of my hand.' And she had to admit, the young martial artist was handsome and respected. It was Ranma's lack of money or ambition that was the problem but, under her tutelage, she could mold him into something acceptable if she were forced to. First things first. 'This baka dress has got to go.' She felt like she was on display at some hentai cosplay convention. "Let's get this over with, Kaji. I assume you'll work it so my imouto will accept it and..."

"I'm afraid you misunderstand, my dear Nabiki-chan," the old man corrected, "Not his wife. His musume." Before the seventeen year old could protest, the demon raised his hands and snapped his fingers again.

# # # # #

Curses and struggles, by the young woman within, against the sentient vines encasing her betrayed nothing more than faint muffles beyond. Within its muted darkness, she could feel the change commence. 'Damn it!' She braced herself. It didn't hurt, at least not physically. In fact, it felt like gentle tickling as her skin flowed and rippled.

Her mind grew increasingly anxious. It was aware of her arms thinning, shortening, while her hands grew correspondingly smaller as well. She held up her hand in front of her face. She watched, as its slender manicured fingers became stubby, less elongated, losing their adult adornments. Her brain tried to deny what was happening as her legs started consuming less space within her vine prison, reducing her already average stature to something well below what a person of her true age should be. Her dress and her shoes already felt a few sizes too large. She prayed that it would stop; it didn't.

A moment later, the true horror of her situation came when she realized her firm mature form was losing its sensuous curves. Slowly, painfully, Nabiki watched with her inner eye as her chest flattened in such a way that it reminded her of balloons deflating. Her once perfect, and to her mind alluring curves, vanished as her body reverted back to that of her childhood.

Then the tickling stopped. Nabiki Tendo could not tell how young she was now. However, if the former cosplay outfit, which had morphed and shrunk into a set of pajamas, was any indication, she was of elementary school age.

After a time, she stopped struggling inside her cocoon. 'This is fruitless.' The middle Tendo daughter had never been the physical sort. That was her little sister Akane's forte. Nabiki had always preferred to entice others to do her bidding. That became easier as she flowered into womanhood but it wasn't just her body. She was no bimbo like Shampoo. No, Nabiki had always used her sharp calculating mind to affect. She reassured herself that child or not, she could devise a way out of this predicament.

That would have to wait. The transformation had been draining. Her mind felt unusually sluggish and sleepy. Deciding to rest for a moment to gather her thoughts, Nabiki closed her eyes and considered what she felt. It was hot... not warm. She felt oddly secure - safe was perhaps a better word. Shifting about, she drifted deeper into her thoughts. Hazy pictures came floating to her mind. Images that should not be real but they seemed to be real, nevertheless.

# # # # #

Slowly, Nabiki Tendo drifted back into wakefulness. She frowned slightly as she heard someone calling her. It sounded strange because no one usually called her. "Nabiki." The voice grew clearer. "You'll be late if..." The voice didn't continue as Nabiki jerked awake.

'Late!' the teen thought, 'I can't be late! Why didn't my alarm clock go off?' There were things she had to get done today before her classes at Furinkan High School began. She jerked upright but immediately regretted it. With a yelp of surprise, she toppled out of bed amid a tangle of arms, legs, and blankets. "Owie..." Nabiki grumbled as she rubbed her rear.

"Oh Na-chan," the voice cooed with both affection and amusement, "That's what you get for sleeping so close to the edge. Are you okay?"

"Hai." She tried to search around for the source of the voice but all she could see was a mass of pink. The mass quickly vanished as the owner of the voice pulled the bed clothing away from her. 'It was a dream!' Nabiki assured herself, 'I must have eaten some of Akane's cooking again.' She grimaced then.

"What's the matter?" Kasumi asked.

Nabiki went to say, "_Nothing Onee-chan,_" but it came out as, "Nothing Mommy." Nabiki blinked, and tried to frown at her confusion, but her body seemed to think that it was a quite natural thing so didn't.

"Well come on, sleepyhead. We need to get you up and dressed. Your daddy's been waiting for breakfast since six." Nabiki found herself grinning and then giggling as Kasumi hefted her into the air and then into a hug. "Oh my, you're getting big." While one part of her mind, a part that seemed very alien to her, soaked up the warm feeling that being hugged was generating and returned the hug back.

Meanwhile, the rest of Nabiki's brain was recoiling at all the pink, light rose, and cream white theme in her once beautiful and organized bedroom. The only things she was able to really note before her sister settled her back onto her feet were that her desk was smaller and so was her bed.

"Now, Na-chan, go wash up and then come downstairs for breakfast. I'll lay out your fuku for later."

Nabiki obeyed the command, if only to be alone and ponder over what was happening. It was only as she stepped away from Kasumi that she noticed that her older sister was a lot bigger than she remembered. She only stood about waist-high to her sister. There was something else. The former teen frowned and stared hard up at Kasumi who was now busy making up the bed. 'She looks older,' Nabiki observed.

"Nani? What is it, Musume?" Kasumi asked while looking over her shoulder.

"Nothing Mommy," her voice robotically responded and then much to the Nabiki's annoyance, her young body skipped from her bedroom and down the hall.

# # # # #

Once in the privacy of the bathroom, Nabiki took the opportunity to examine herself. It was then that the full horror of Kaji's punishment struck her, or more precisely, the full horror only struck a small part of her brain. The majority of it wanted to know what the big deal was. Not only had she lost her womanly curves, not only was she as flat as a board, but by all outward indications, she had been regressed before puberty. If she had to guess, and Nabiki wasn't one for blatant guessing unless there was profit in it, she figured herself to be about seven years old. 'Iie, eight... Nani? Eight? Hai, that's right.' Although her recollections of what she looked when she really that age made her think she was freshly turned eight. 'At least, I'm not a baby.' That was some consolation.

A bigger surprise was her hair. It wasn't short and cut into an alluring fashion. Instead, she had very long hair that cascaded down to the small of her back. The former teen spent some time looking that part over. She'd never sported long hair, even as child. 'Damn you, Kaji!' It made her look cute, not sophisticated. Further examination was interrupted by a very urgent need to relieve herself. After that, she could hear Kasumi... _Mommy_ calling her in a slightly irritated voice to come and have breakfast.

"In a minute, Mommy!" 'Kami-sama, I hate these baka things!' Nabiki grumbled to herself as she adjusted the rather disgusting, cavity-inducing pajamas into place before washing her hands. The pajamas were a single piece set that was warm and fuzzy. The legs ended about an inch up from her ankle and had little white flowers stitched about the hem. The buttons were large pink hearts, which fitted through equally large buttonholes. The worse feature about this set of pajamas was the fact that it had a hood that sported two floppy rabbit ears and the back had a fuzzy pink tail. 'At least they're soft,' Nabiki conceded as she pushed the last squashy button through its respective hole.

She left the bathroom and made her way into the dining room where the rest of the family was gathered for breakfast at a low table. Other than seeming bigger, her father and Genma looked normal, as did Akane except her hair looked like it did before she started wearing it short.

Her heart skipped a beat when she got to Ranma. The teenaged Ranma had always been something nice to look at but the adult, mature Ranma was in another class entirely. 'Sugoi! Maybe I was too hasty letting Akane have a free hand.' Before Nabiki realized it, she was running forward shouting, "**Ohayo Daddy!**" The twenty-something martial artist, apparently not puzzled by the declaration but instead expecting it, turned in time for Nabiki to wrap her small arms around his neck in a hug.

He hugged her back and rumpled the hair on the top of her head. She wasn't sure this was so bad. "My little sleepyhead's finally got out of bed, ne?"

"Da-ddy!" Nabiki protested then giggled.

"She's picking up Akane's habits," Kasumi interjected as she placed a glass of milk before daughter. "You've already missed five minutes of your favorite anime."

"Nabiki-chan, don't listen to your mom." Akane winked. "Being able to sleep in is a very nice thing. Just ask your dad."

The little girl, however, wasn't paying attention. Her eyes were glued to the television watching some stupid talking bunnies. Unfortunately, this really wasn't what the teen Nabiki desired. She wanted some answers but seemed helpless to get them. 'It's like flying in a plane with only an autopilot and nothing else,' the teen thought to herself. She was startled by a voice from inside her head, a younger one, who snapped, 'Shut up! We're watching _Miko-chan_!'

# # # # #

By the time the anime episode was over, the small part that had been Nabiki Tendo, seventeen year old, realized two important things. One, she'd managed to eat breakfast without noticing, nor even knowing, what she had eaten. Two, and to Nabiki's thinking, a much more disturbing revelation was that she absolutely loved bunnies, especially Miko-chan and her twin brother Niko-chan. They were so cute and adventurous.

Moreover, despite her fervent desire to go demand answers from the others, she found herself happily following her new mother out of the room then up to her room. There she noticed an elementary school uniform laid out on the bed. 'Safety pylon!' This was definitely not her expected (and reasonably fashionable) Furinkan High School wear. Nabiki mentally recoiled at the sight of it. 'Kami-sama! Don't tell me I have to wear that baka thing.' The younger voice, however, disagreed, 'We like it. It's really pretty!'

Her new school uniform was a four-piece affair. The blouse was a bright white. Over it was a vibrant yellow vest with green pips. The pleated skirt was a bright, eye-blinding orange. Topping it off was a yellow beret with what apparently was the school crest attached to its front.

Nabiki's ability to investigate what Kaji had down to her room was severely hampered by the fact that Kasumi was behind her brushing out her hair and putting it into two long flowing pigtails that poked out from either side of her head. The finishing touch was the addition of two while ribbons to hold them in place. 'Kami-sama, if anybody sees me like this, I'm gonna die!' Nabiki wailed to herself. 'Minako-chan likes our hair ribbons... and so do I,' the younger voice commented. The teen part of the youngster wanted to find a wall somewhere to bash her head against.

Much to Nabiki's chagrin, her mother stayed in the room to make sure she "_didn't dawdle_". This had the young girl blushing, and not because she was feeling for her modesty. The fact was that Nabiki was blushing because Kasumi had given the reason for staying in a disapproving tone. The little girl felt guilty about dawdling.

'This is baka!' Nabiki grumbled to herself, the younger voice remarked, 'No, it ain't!' As she dressed, she finally could take a moment to look about her room. It was certainly a little girl's room, and most of it was in a pink and cream white motif. A few stuffed animals, dolls, and other toys could be seen scattered about. There was a large stuffed Pikachu sitting on her pillow and as she looked at it, she couldn't help but grin - after all, it was after all her favorite.

"Better get going, Na-chan," Kasumi insisted, "Or else Akane won't walk to school with you."

Nabiki gave a yelp of surprise and ran out of the room at breakneck speed shouting, "**Oba-chan! Wait for me!**" She skidded along the wood floors and nearly fell down the stairs at the pace that she was taking them. The teen part of Nabiki inwardly cringed at the thought of the bumps and bruises she'd have but she was more than a little relieved when Ranma plucked her out of midair halfway through a fall and hugged her.

"Do it again, Daddy!" Nabiki shouted in a giggly sort of way and hugged her father.

"No time... You have a good day at school, Musume."

"Hai!"

"Well," Akane remarked, "Get your shoes on, Nabiki-chan, or we'll both be late for school." The youngster squirmed out of her father's arms and scampered to comply.

# # # # #

Nabiki snuggled into her warm coat, pulled on her school backpack over it, adjusted her pigtails, and tucked her nose into the pink scarf she was wearing. 'What time of year is it? It's pretty cold and there's snow still around,' she wondered as she walked along with her sister. Although much of it was no more than frozen mud and dead grass. 'Well?' She prompted the young voice for an answer but it was too busy prattling to Akane about what she had to do at school that day.

"We gots math first thing, Oba-chan... and Masada-sensei always gives us quizzes on Fridays."

"Kinda mean, ne?" Akane asked. The eight year old nodded. "You should ask her to do it on Monday instead."

"Nuhuh, I couldn't do that!" Nabiki replied, sounding horrified at the mere prospect of such a bold thing. 'Why not?' the teen part of her demanded.

Either Akane was a mind reader or she wanted to know why her niece would react so strongly to such a suggestion. 'Wish she had a little more backbone,' Akane thought before asking, "Why not? I don't think she'd take your head off, Na-chan."

"Sensei's SCARY!" Nabiki breathed out, her breath came out in a visible cloud of frosted air. "She rides a BIG motorcycle!" She spread her arms out wide. The little girl then changed the subject, as if wanting to avoid any further mention of a math quiz. "Then we gots Japanese and then music."

Nabiki found herself listening intently to the small voice detailing her upcoming school day to Akane. 'Knowledge is power,' she proudly thought. This had been her motto throughout her seventeen years. At least, Kaji hadn't changed that aspect of her personality. However, she got a puzzled feeling back from what she was starting to know as her younger self. When they reached the school gates of Oizumi Elementary School, Nabiki hugged her aunt good-bye and then skipped into the schoolyard in search of her friends.

The teen Nabiki was thinking sadly of Yuriko and her other high school friends as she wandered by the various children meandering about, all wearing the same brightly-colored uniform as hers. 'None of my friends is here.' Then it was immediately countered, 'Hai, they are! They're in the same class as me.' She internally gritted her teeth. She really hated this "_passenger in her own body_" bit. 'Well, we're in grade three, ne?' She got the impression that her little friend would have liked to be in third grade. 'We're in Grade 2. Class 2-2 and... Ah shit!' The little girl froze in the middle of the schoolyard and looked around guiltily. 'Don't say naughty words!' the younger portion of Nabiki demanded, 'Or else you'll get us into trouble!' Fortunately, her friends spotted her and took her strange behavior as looking for them.

"Ohayo Na-chan!" one girl with pretty green eyes and blond hair called and waved, "Over here!" The youngster smiled and waved back before quickly skipping over to her friend. "So?" the little girl prompted. Upon getting closer, she noticed that Minako was taller than she was and sported a red hair bow in her golden locks.

"Nani?" Nabiki asked puzzled.

"Did you watch this morning?"

"Hai!" Nabiki chirped excitedly. "Niko-chan was very naughty today, Minako-chan. He..." She continued her critique as the pair walked toward their shoe lockers. The teen who was Nabiki Tendo sighed and resigned herself to listen to her younger self blather on about the pair of anthropomorphic bunnies. Well, it might not be that bad.

_End of Chapter 1_

Coming next in **Chapter 2 - **_**Unwilling Passenger**_

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	2. Chapter 2 An Unwilling Passenger

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "_Innocence of Mine_" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction .com domain.** **Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Chapter 2 - An Unwilling Passenger**

**T**he discussion of the animated antics of Miko-chan and Niko-chan continued while they went to their shoe lockers and changed into their blue-striped shoes. It finally stopped once the pair of children reached Classroom 2-2. After several "_ohayo_" exchanges, they reached their desks, located in the fourth row adjacent to each other, and sat down. The bell sounded only moments later and the class settled in to begin its day.

A thirty-something teacher strolled into the classroom and sat at her desk. The class president, a little brunette eight year old girl in the first row with shoulder-length brown hair, stood up and instructed. "Minna-san, stand up." They did. "Bow." They did.

Then everyone said, "Ohayo Sensei."

"Ohayo, class."

"Sit," the class president finished and everyone sat down.

The surprises began during roll call. The teen Nabiki was just settling in for a good long sulk when she heard the teacher say, "Saotome, Nabiki?"

And then she heard herself say in a near whisper, "Hai."

As teachers went, Masada-sensei could certainly earn the title of "_scary_" as her younger self had described earlier that morning. It wasn't in the look. It was in her posture and body language. Even the rowdiest of students paid attention to where their teacher was.

As the teacher was handing back the previous day's homework, Nabiki took the opportunity to glance at the blackboard. 'January, ne? Hai! Three more months and I'll be in Grade 3! Uh... if I pass...' Nabiki sighed. Having someone talking in her head was starting to give the little girl a headache, not to mention confusing her.

"Now, class," Masada-sensei remarked as she went to the front of the room, "We can finish off Homeroom like normal or we can start our test now..." There were groans. "And you can have some extra time for recess afterwards."

Little Nabiki cringed at the mere thought of a math test. 'Math is easy,' the teen scoffed to her younger part who was silently muttering, 'Later... much later... never maybe.'

"Who wants to start now and get extra time?" The younger Saotome glanced about the room. Her heart sank as she saw many of her classmate's hands go up. "That looks like a majority. Okay, minna, then books away."

'IIE!' Nabiki screamed silently while slouching down in her seat. 'Why do you hate math? It can be fun!' The teen felt a wave of disbelief radiate from her younger self. 'Look, Na-chan, I'll help you out and...' The small voice in her head spoke up then, and hissed, 'I don't want_ your_ help!'

"Are you okay, Na-chan?" Minako whispered as she watched her friend blush brightly for no apparent reason.

"H-Hai," Nabiki squeaked out, feeling as if she might throw up. She started fervently wishing she would as the test paper was placed on her desk facedown. 'I'm gonna flunk this. I just know it. I should've studied. Mommy and Daddy will be really mad.'

# # # # #

Nabiki Saotome knew this math test would be one of the worst had yet experienced in her young life and would likely garner her a note to be taken to her parents the next day. She had been dreading it all week. On the other hand, it was certainly not the worst math test that the teen Nabiki Tendo had ever taken. True, she couldn't do advanced calculus in her head... yet but she knew how to do simple math even with one hand tied behind her back - but not both. By five minutes into the test, the teen portion of Nabiki had already screamed herself hoarse. 'Why won't the kid listen?' She spent the rest of the time silently fuming and wishing she could get her hands around Kaji's scrawny neck. She knew the old man was watching her somehow from afar laughing his fool head off at her predicament.

Another five minutes passed. By now, the eight year old had resigned herself to her fate and spent the remainder of the test time doodling cute little bunnies all over the paper. The rest of math period didn't fare much better for either Nabiki.

After math, the class had a short recess then trooped down to the school's music room for music class. Na-chan, as her friends called her, enjoyed music class apparently because she paid attention and seemed to be better suited to playing the simple melody on the recorder than she did doing simple sums. The older Nabiki wondered if there was a pressure point technique for becoming deaf.

A combined (and to the teen Nabiki's mind, mind-numbingly easy) geography and history class followed Music and the morning was rounded off with learning some simple Hiragana.

# # # # #

Lunch turned out to be even more of a disaster than math class had. It began simply enough, Minako had coaxed a reluctant Nabiki to go and eat outside. This was something that even the older Nabiki could empathize. She didn't want to eat outside in the cold except that her younger version wasn't willing to risk hurting her friend's feelings.

The duo was joined by some other classmates and soon they were all huddled on a bunch, talking and giggling. 'Well,' the teenage Nabiki mused, 'Some topics of conversation don't change.' She felt slightly amused when her younger version blushed and giggled as they talked about a cute boy. Otherwise, she never spoke. 'Of course, you think holding hands with a boy is bad.' Other topics of discussion were also familiar: the rumors flying about the school, homework, and to no surprise, how good Kasumi's cooking was.

The latter was something little Nabiki took great pride in. She even let the funny old voice in her head handle the trades she made with her other friends. While she loved her mommy's cooking, she was willing to trade during lunch because she got to eat Kasumi's cooking at home every night. It seemed only fair that she share such good food with her friends.

As the youngster munched on an onigiri (Japanese rice ball), and glowing pink both from pride in her mother's cooking and the cold, the topic of conversation turned to a subject that made the youngest Saotome anxious. "You guys should've seen my mommy!" Ruri began. The cute raven-haired second-grader had a bowl-shaped haircut and gray eyes behind a pair of blue-rimmed glasses. "I mean... I thought she was gonna explode!"

'Well... Ruri-chan should've done her homework like Sensei said,' the little girl thought sagely. The older Nabiki snorted at that. 'Well, she should've... even if math is yucky.'

'Do you realize that talking to yourself is a sign of insanity, ne? Nani? What's in-insanity?' The teenage part frowned slightly. 'Anyway, Na-chan, don't you think our mommy is going to be pissed when she hears about today's math test?' Nabiki suddenly found herself not very hungry.

"Honto? So what did she do, Ruri-chan?" Minako asked, her eyes wide.

"Probably wished she never had a little puke like you." All the second-graders turned in the direction of the new voice. There standing with her hands in her pockets and smirking, her nose wrinkled as if she had just came across something rotten, was a fairly large (judging by the color of the stripes on her shoes) third-grader.

"Bug off," Ruri hissed. Nabiki squeaked in surprise and shrank backwards.

The nine year old bully glanced to Ruri and then Nabiki. "Why are you hanging out with a baby kindergartener?"

"Nabiki-chan's in our class!" Minako protested. 'Even if she is sort of a baby.' Even now, her little classmate seemed near tears.

The bully blinked. "Honto? You sure?" She glowered down at the petite eight year old who pressed her body as far back on the bench as possible. "She's kinda puny." Nabiki was physically the smallest in her class and, to her dismay, on more than one occasion had been mistaken for a kindergartner even by the other teachers. The pigtailed youth glanced down silently at the bento box in her lap praying that the bully would just go away. Ruri and Minako just watched.

"Naomi!" The older girl cringed. The three second-graders peeked past Naomi to see whom the voice belonged. They observed a large sixth-grader approaching.

"Rei-san..." Naomi whined as she turned to face the approaching girl, who judging by appearance was related to her.

"Stop playing with your little friends and come and eat."

Naomi glared. "Onee-san, I..."

"Come on, Naomi. You what Mom said. I'm starving!" With that, the preteen grabbed her little sister's hand and pulled her across the playground. Minako and Ruri giggled. Nabiki, however, simply sighed in relief.

"Na-chan, why don't ya tell her to get lost?" Minako asked her friend.

"Na-chan do that?" Ruri scoffed. "Naomi's picked on her before and she just sits there and takes it."

"Maybe Naomi-chan wants to be friends," little Nabiki offered. When Minako rolled her eyes, she added, "Well, she might."

"Maybe her onee wants her to be friends with Nabiki," Ruri commented. Then she repeated something her own older teenage sister said when the topic came up. "That's what I would do if I had the hots for Ranma-san." She didn't add the "_And he was nearer my age._" Her sister was weird sometimes.

'Gak!' the teen part of Nabiki noised while the somewhat bewildered younger part asked, "Had '_the hots_'?"

"Rei-sempai, who just saved you, likes your daddy."

"Everybody likes Daddy," the second-grader commented. 'Mommy says so.'

Ruri sighed. "Baka! I mean she REALLY LIKES him." Even if he is ancient.

'I don't believe it!' the teen howled to her younger self.

"But..." 'That's what I said.'

"Come on, Minako-chan. We've saved poor Nabiki AGAIN so it should be safe now." The little blonde didn't look happy for a moment but then shrugging followed Ruri away.

# # # # #

'I wish Yuriko and the others were here,' the seventeen year old thought to herself. Her younger half only gave her a puzzled sensation, although it was tinged with curiosity.

Nabiki didn't expand her thought further; she was too upset with her host's cowardly behavior. When she was this age, she behaved more like little Ruri, she told herself. This gained her the respect of her peers over time. She decided to remain silent hoping that the rest of the day would slide by so that this nightmare would be over.

After science, the girls in the class trooped down to the Home Economics classroom where they donned white aprons and hair coverings. The youngster's mood brightened slightly as she and her friends worked at making tart shells before filling them with a selection of fillings.

As they waited for the treats to bake, the girls discussed what they would do next. "Ne, Na-chan, you okay?" Minako asked her friend as she knelt on a stool, elbow on the counter, and chin in hand. "You're awful quiet."

"Hai! Mina-chan!" Nabiki replied licking her lips ignoring the earlier incident, "I can't wait for those yummy tarts." The teenager didn't interject. Instead, she continued silently fuming. "We gots PE next, ne?"

"Yep!" the ribbon-wearing blonde chirped, "I hope we get to play volleyball."

"Nani? What's that?" Nabiki asked. Both the little blonde and the teenaged Nabiki rolled their eyes. "Well, I just hope we don't gotta do the jump box."

"Of course, we'll HAVETA do it, silly Na-chan," Minako remarked with a sigh. Moving her legs out from under her so that she sat onto the stool heavily, "Not everybody's made it over two boxes yet." She gave her friend a pointed look.

'We're still doing that?' Nabiki questioned. 'Kami-sama, I hate that!' The teen could jump over six boxes gracefully but, as a rule, she abhorred gym class because she had to get all sweaty... although watching Ranma get all sweaty was intriguing. 'Daddy's all stinky like that.' Nabiki let out a giggle.

Before Minako could ask what was so funny, the teacher called them to come and try their tarts.

# # # # #

Gym class was about as bad as math class. For a Saotome offspring, the eight year old was hardly the most athletic child. This was surprising to her older self because even Kasumi had demonstrated both athletic and exceptional hand-eye coordination in school, much less Ranma's prowess. Talking about her older sister's abilities triggered the memory of fifteen year old Kasumi juggling and singing at the same time at her first Furinkan High School cultural festival.

The teen began to wonder if genetics meant anything in this crazy reality. She expected that any progeny of Ranma Saotome would have come out knowing how to battle from the start. On the other hand, Nabiki Saotome seemed to have neither athletic interest nor the motor skills to pull it off. When it came to the box horse, the shy child seemed less coordinated than the class klutz was.

Gym class resulted in a skinned knee and the teacher muttering about hopeless causes. As the pigtailed girl dejectedly followed her classmates to the changing rooms, her internal passenger decided to offer some advice. 'Ask our dad... Well, I guess Daddy would help... Of course, he would, Na-chan.' This last thought improved little Nabiki's glum mood.

'Sugoi! Baton Club's next!' This thought lifted her spirits further. Baton Club was, to the teen part of Nabiki's mind, a little astounding. Nabiki Saotome could twirl a baton rather exceptionally. In fact, by the end of the club meeting, the girl was showing off, leaving the instructor, the other club members, and the teenaged Nabiki slack-jawed.

As little Nabiki walked, she gave a sigh of relief that the school day was over. She was also thankful that the nasty older girl in her head had been relatively quiet since gym.

"Nabiki-chan!" A familiar voice caused the youngster's head to come up. Slowly a grinned formed at the sight before her.

"Yuriko-oneechan!" Nabiki cried and happily rushed towards her friend. Nabiki Tendo blinked and could only think, 'Kami-sama, Yuriko's gotten a lot taller.'

Yuriko hugged the eight year old before standing up and giving the little girl a calculating look. "What do you have in the bag?"

"Tarts!" Nabiki answered promptly.

"Oh, can I have one, Na-chan?" By way of answer, Nabiki held the bag out. Yuriko took one and gave the youngster a smile. "Sugoi! But with your mom's cooking skills in you, I'm not surprised."

'So far...' the teen version drawled sarcastically. "Hai," the younger version remarked and then started out of the grounds. 'You should tell Yuriko about the bully,' the teen suggested quietly. 'Yuriko-oneechan wouldn't care. Would too! Would not! Would too! Would not!' The youngster sighed.

"What's the matter, Na-chan?"

"She's arguing with me," Nabiki whined.

"Nani? Who?"

"Her!" Nabiki made a vague gesture, which made Yuriko smirk.

"Well, you tell your new friend to be nice to you."

'Now she thinks you have an imaginary friend!' Nabiki Tendo groused. Much to the teen's annoyance, the little girl stoutly ignored her and started talking to Yuriko about everything except how school had gone that day. Meanwhile, the teen part of Nabiki fumed. 'I can't believe it. She's... I'm going to be held back if my grades don't improve...' When she informed her younger counterpart of the contents of the note she was carrying, the eight year old shrugged it off by saying it was a chance to make new friends, and she would see Minako and Ruri sometimes at recess. The teenager scoffed at her naïve rationalization but it was like trying to talk Akane into loving a brick rather than breaking them.

"Are you coming to my house?" Nabiki asked the older girl. Yuriko smiled down at the youngster and nodded. "Why?"

"Why?" Yuriko questioned back and grinned as Nabiki scrunched her nose up in puzzlement. After a moment, the teen answered, "I'm tutoring your oba and then, we're going out with some friends."

"Oh..." was all the little girl remarked while silently thinking, 'Daddy's going to be really mad!' The older portion of Nabiki blinked and wondered, 'Because? Well, Akane-obachan is supposed to teach a class tonight.' There was a rather long pause and then the younger voice mused, 'He's going to explode!' The teen portion decided a change of subject was in order. 'What does Yuriko tutor Akane in?' The eight year old shrugged. 'Big girl stuff.'

"Hey, kiddo, where'd you go?" Yuriko questioned.

"Nani?"

"I've been talking all this time and you zoned out on me." Nabiki giggled and blushed at the same time. "So, how did you do on your math test today?" the seventeen year old asked. And then snickered when her charge grimaced.

# # # # #

Much to Nabiki Tendo's annoyance, Kasumi had the little girl change from her school uniform into a very pink blouse and skirt. With the cute pigtails she sported, it only made her look even younger. Of course, her younger self thought it was very pretty and loved the outfit; the teen vowed that if she ever had kids, she would never make them wear pink.

The real excitement that evening happened during dinner when Akane, who was sitting beside Yuriko, announced her plans to go out on a date. "But you have a class tonight, Imouto," Kasumi remarked, a tiny frown creasing her brow.

"Ranma can teach it, Onee-chan. It's not like I go out every night of the week."

"You said you'd help teach," her nearly thirty year old sister remarked a little more sharply. Both Soun and Genma remained quiet, although they did nod agreement at their daughter's comment.

"Kami-sama, Kasumi, it's only for tonight. Weren't you ever young?" the teen teased.

"Like it was last week? THREE times?" Ranma pointed out then turned to his wife. "Well, I guess our plans are off, Kasumi-chan."

"Absolutely not!" The stern tone surprised both Nabikis, although the younger one was watching with nervous worry; the older one was simply staring at a side of her older sister she rarely saw. "Akane gave her parole to teach the beginners' class tonight. She should be held to it."

"Maybe... we should discuss this later, Kasumi-chan," Soun remarked while inclining his head towards his young granddaughter.

"Iie, Otou-san," Kasumi said firmly, "My Nabiki-chan KEEPS her promises." And then turning to her daughter, she added, "Ne Musume?"

"Hai!" Nabiki squeaked after a moment, completely startled by what was happening. 'Don't you dare cry, Na-chan!' the teen portion of her mind shouted, 'You're a big girl and if you cry now, then it'll just mean we won't get to hear anything else!' Little Nabiki lowered her eyes to her plate and kept eating, all the time listening intently to the grownups' conversation around her.

"I don't see what the big deal is, minna. It's just a date," Akane explained, "It's not like the world's gonna explode. Besides, Yuri-sempai is going with me."

"You have an obligation to this family, not to mention '_The Art_', Akane!" Kasumi lectured. "Our fathers don't run off to imbibe when they have classes scheduled to teach. Even Happosai-ojiisan takes on master's students when he stays here for any length of time."

Akane frowned and said with such brutal honesty that it was just this side of rudeness, "Well, Onee, I didn't have my future happiness arranged for me by our father. Some of us have to work at it." By this point, the eight year old had given up all pretense of eating and sat staring wide-eyed at her aunt and mother.

Into the tense silence, Ranma's voice cut through calmly, "Na-chan, go take your bath."

Nabiki regarded her father. She knew instantly that arguing the point would not be the best choice. "Hai, Daddy," the eight year old replied then got up and padded from the room. 'What were they talking about? I didn't understand those big words,' she asked the older voice. She knew this was likely the only person willing to explain.

There was a long silence and then the older voice remarked, 'Well... Soun-ojiisan and Genma-ojiisan promised that our mommy and daddy would marry each other a long time ago.' There was a silence between the two and then a simply question followed, 'Why?' The older Nabiki sighed noisily and replied in a puzzled tone, 'Not a clue.'

A short time later in the bathroom, the little girl had finished scrubbing when she heard a very familiar voice ring out, "Yo Ranma! Why such the long face?" 'Happosai!' both younger and older versions of Nabiki thought at once. Immediately both rushed towards the door, intent on seeing the ancient master of the _Anything Goes School of Martial Arts_. Their plans were interrupted by Kasumi's appearance. While their mother didn't seem upset, she looked distinctly distracted and annoyed.

"Come on, Nabiki-chan," Kasumi told her daughter, "Rise off and climb in the furo."

"I wanna see, Happosai-ojiisama!"

"Not tonight. He has things to discuss with your father."

'Come on, Na-chan,' the older part of Nabiki warned, 'Better not push our mommy too hard.' With some reluctance, the youngster turned to finish off her bathing.

# # # # #

The tenor of the next day was set when little Nabiki Saotome woke up to find herself in a puddle of her own making. The "_crime_", as the teenaged portion of Nabiki kept referring to it as, which made her younger part feel even worse, was discovered by Ranma when he came to wake up his daughter for breakfast. The eight year old's response to this was to burst into tears, which immediately made the teenager inside feel bad.

'Damn you, Kaji!' She'd stopped wetting the bed back when she was four.

"It's okay, pumpkin," Ranma said soothingly as he lifted he daughter into a hug. Holding her close, he rubbed her back and continued softly, "You know, it's not your fault, Nabiki-chan. I just forgot to wake you up last night. Don't be mad at me, okay?" Snuffling a little, the eight year old snuggled close and hugged her father back. Ranma continued to stroke her hair and make soothing noises.

'This is nice,' the older Nabiki remarked. She had known Ranma could be compassionate, if he really wanted to be, but actually seeing it in practice was something that moved Nabiki's heart. 'Okay Kaji, I get it... Now can I get out of here?' the teen thought but there was no response.

The youngster had just started to feel better about "_the accident_" she had caused when Akane poked her head in looking thunderous. "Kami-sama! What's all the commotion about, Ranma?" She was still wearing her pajamas.

"Nabiki-chan had an accident," he answered. "Would you get us some clean sheets, please Akane-chan?"

"Again?" Akane squawked with something approaching disgust, "She's eight, not three!"

"AKANE... the sheets?"

"Get 'em yourself!" the teen huffed savagely and stomped down the hall to change.

Breakfast that morning was tension-filled silence. Neither Kasumi nor Akane were talking to each other and it was obvious that they didn't want to hear from anybody else. Little Nabiki sat at the low table silently eating angry as well. She was fuming over the fact that she was missing her favorite anime show because her aunt was grounded, which meant no TV. Minako was sure to razz her about missing it.

Soun, apparently not wanting to see his daughters fight, commented, "Akane-chan, I'd like you to..." He trailed off at the glare his youngest daughter was giving him. "Be reasonable."

"Dad! She grounded me!" The teen slammed her fist onto the table. "And embarrassed me in front of Yuriko! She's not my mother."

"Well Musume..." Soun began, hoping to circumvent the impending explosion from Kasumi, "You did give her word to help out yesterday."

"You're always take HER side... Well, I'm leaving for school!" Akane huffed and getting up marched from the room.

"Teenagers." Ranma sighed. "Maybe she'll decide to shack up with Kuno."

Nabiki lifted her head and stared at her father. "Daddy, what's '_shack up_' mean?"

"Young lady," her mother said sternly, "Go brush your teeth." Reluctantly, the child did so.

# # # # #

The school day started off on a bad note when Nabiki and her two friends, Minako and Ruri, stopped by the huge bulletin board where the classes' test scores and rankings would be posted for the math test taken the previous day. They moved to the column of the board labeled "2-2". Nabiki, who was fairly small, needed Minako and Ruri to communicate what they could see over the crowd of children in front of them.

"Sugoi! My butt's saved!" Minako whooped with delight after they had been standing there for about two minutes. "I went up three spots!" The blonde did a little dance and then hugged Nabiki. "Mommy won't be mad!"

"Well..." Ruri drawled a moment later, "At least, I didn't drop."

"Nabiki-chan," Ruri began a moment later, "Hate to say this but you're third from the bottom." The eight year old went positively pink and looked down at her shoes. "Saotome-san shouldn't be too mad though."

"Yeah but Sensei will be." And that, as the girls were to find out, was an understatement.

School seemed to go downhill from there. During the combined history/geography period, Nabiki was sent into the hall to hold two pails of sand because of Minako whispering something, which caused her to giggle.

Lunch gave Nabiki a bit of a break, though she did see Naomi struggling to get free from a headlock the older girl called Rei had on her. "She shouldn't be so mean to Naomi-sempai," Nabiki remarked. Minako and Ruri gave each other a look that communicated exasperation while Nabiki slid lower in her seat. The youngster thought she would never live down gym class as long as she lived.

At last, the day ended and Nabiki Saotome trudged from the elementary school feeling unhappy. That was until she saw her father waiting outside for her.

_End of Chapter 2_

Coming next in _**Chapter 3 - Peeling the Onion**_

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	3. Chapter 3 Peeling the Onion

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "_Innocence of Mine_" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction .com domain.** **Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Chapter 3 - Peeling the Onion**

**T**he next couple of days were less stressful for Nabiki Tendo. She managed to rouse her younger self in time from slumber to use the restroom, thus preventing a repeat of her earlier bed-wetting experience (although she had never thought disparagingly about her younger self's bed-wetting). After all, she had been guilty of it herself as a child, especially during the aftermath of her mother's death. The fact that "_Aunt Akane_" was insensitive to her niece for something that she was obviously having trouble with, just stirred the teenager's instincts of support.

During this period, there were three major stressors for Nabiki Tendo and in her opinion, that was plenty. The first was Naomi. The teenager was afraid that third-grader would pommel her shy counterpart into mincemeat at the first opportunity. Her stress level was made worse because her younger part, the part she was had come to think of as Na-chan, was completely oblivious to the danger. In fact, she wanted to make friends with the bully in a misguided sense of compassion, i.e. if you were friends, then Naomi wouldn't be mean. Perhaps, it was fortuitous for the teen Nabiki's jangled nerves that Na-chan wasn't able to implement her plan.

The second major stressor was elementary school. Nabiki had always received above average marks in school throughout her life, superior to either of her sisters. Therefore, this almost Ranma-like inattention at school and unmoving unconcern that she might be held back truly grated on the little girl's unwilling passenger. What pushed her nerves nearly to the breaking point was when she discovered that some of the more complicated math problems were no longer effortless to solve.

The third and final item that was playing upon the nerves of Nabiki Tendo was the simple fact that her young host was a spoiled brat. Not that her eight year old self misbehaved; her manners were nearly impeccable. It was just that whatever the youngster wanted, she tended to get by using her "_cute attack_". Ranma and her own father seemed especially susceptible.

It was on the third day that the teen finally lost her battle with her rising temper and allowed it to erupt. It happened while they were sitting in the furo during their evening bath. Normally, the warmth of the furo would have been relaxing, especially with Kasumi present. She was reciting an old myth about a fish. Even the teen portion of the girl could not find this offensive. It had dredged up memories of Kasumi cuddling her at night from her own childhood, so that wasn't what broke her resolve. Nor was it even the fact that her eight year old self was playing with a bright orange bath sponge made in the shape of a koi, like a child of four might. No, what truly enraged the teen was the fact that the furo was filled with soapy pink bubbles. Said bubbles had been demanded of her mommy and of course, she gave into her cute daughter's pleas.

'You!' Nabiki Tendo hissed in the type of voice that would even have set Happosai scurrying for cover, 'Need a good spanking!'

"Nani?" Na-chan squeaked in surprise. 'I'm a good girl! Mommy and Daddy say so!' Why was this girl in her head always mean to her? Her eyes misted over and even before Kasumi could recover from her daughter's sudden outburst, the little girl started to cry.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Kasumi asked in a very concerned tone of voice while reaching out for her daughter.

'Kami-sama! Na-chan no baka! You don't put bath bubbles in a furo!'

"But I like 'em!" the youngster wailed.

"Na-chan?"

"SHE's being mean AGAIN, Mommy!" the little girl exclaimed.

"Nani? Who?"

"**HER!**"

"Well, if your friend's being mean, Na-chan, she'll just have to go."

"Hai!" Na-chan sniffled while her mother hugged her. 'You heard Mommy... GO 'WAY!'

'I wish I could...' Nabiki thought sadly to her younger half and then just to be spiteful added, 'I wouldn't be your friend ever!' Of course, this set the eight year old off into another fit of crying much to the chagrin of her bewildered mother.

# # # # #

The next day after school, little Nabiki Saotome left the main building, head down. Her cheeks were aflame in embarrassment. As she approached the gate, she didn't see the small figure waiting for her. She only looked up when a familiar voice asked, "What's troubling you, Na-chan?"

The youngster's head lifted up and her eyes, misted by tears, took in the blur for someone she knew very well. "Happosai-ojiisama!" the child cried. She rushed forward and flung her arms around the ancient martial arts master's neck.

"I'm glad to see you as well, my dear," Happosai remarked while hugging her back. He dropped the large gunnysack he was carrying in the process. "But why such a sad face?" Nabiki let go and lowered her head again, all the while fidgeting from foot to foot.

"Nothing..."

He gave her a sharp look and then said in a gentle voice, "You can tell me, Na-chan. You know I'll help you."

"Well..." was the reluctant response.

"Come on. You know I'd do anything to help you. We're friends, ne?"

"Hai!" the eight year old answered stoutly, and then gave the old man a long look before saying softly, "Well Ojii-sama... I-I... had an accident."

"Oh?" Happosai asked. Nabiki nodded. "How?"

The youngster blushed again but proceeded to tell the master of her father's school of martial arts what had happened. It had all began when Nabiki had gone to the girls' bathroom after baton club to use the toilet before heading for home. Inside, she happened upon Naomi coming out of a stall. When the older girl saw Nabiki, she got a predatory look her eyes and advanced upon her.

"She didn't try to hit you, ne Nabiki-chan?" the old master asked in a serious tone.

"Iie!" she replied and then went on to explain that all Naomi had done was backing her into a corner. "I told Naomi-chan I REALLY REALLY needed to go and she said I could but she wouldn't get out of my way." The youngster's voice trailed off and she scuffed the ground with the toe of her black Mary Janes. "She only left after it was too late." 'Why did she laugh at me?'

"I see... So she was picking on you?"

The little girl shook her head. "I want Naomi-chan to be my friend, Ojii-sama, but I couldn't ask her... I got too scared."

"Perhaps there is something I can do, my child. I think I need to talk to your father."

"Iie! Daddy'll get mad at me, Ojii-sama!" the young Saotome exclaimed. Happosai seemed surprised at this exclamation.

"I don't think he will, sweetheart."

"But I'm not brave like Daddy and I don't study '_The Art_' or nothing. Gomen nasai, Ojii-sama."

'Na-chan, he loves you and is definitely _proud_ of you!' Nabiki Tendo remarked sternly. She had been waging a protracted battle against her younger self's inferiority complex. 'He'd do anything for us!' Of this, she had no doubt. 'Honto? Hai!' As the little girl talked to the funny older girl in her head, Happosai's eyes narrowed for a moment before he shook his head and smiled.

"Na-chan, what say I take you to the _Cat Café_ for supper?"

"Honto?" Happosai nodded. The smile on the youngster's face flickered slightly then faltered. "But Mommy says I'm supposed to go straight home, Ojii-sama."

"See that phone booth over there?" The girl nodded. "We'll phone your house, and you can ask your mommy, ne Na-chan?"

"Hai!" the eight year old replied, feeling much better than she had just moments before. He picked up his gunnysack and slung it over his shoulder.

# # # # #

"Saotome Residence," came the calm and cheerful voice of Kasumi Saotome. In the background, little Nabiki could hear her aunt yelling about something.

"Konnichiwa Mommy!" the youngster chirped brightly. "Can I go to the _Cat Café_ for supper?"

"Nabiki, you know you're supposed to come right home from school. You don't need to be bothering Shampoo..." her mother remarked gently.

"Aw... But Ojii-sama said he'd treat me! Please Mommy!"

"Happosai-ojiisan is there with you, ne?"

"Hai!"

"Let me talk to him for a moment, Na-chan." Obediently, she handed the handset over to the old man who had been busy rummaging through his sack of women's undergarments.

"Moshi moshi? Kasumi-chan?"

"Happosai-ojiisan, you don't have to take Nabiki out for supper... I've made more than enough for..."

A booming voice blasted forth from the handset at such volume that it rattled the phone booth. "YOU DIRTY PERVERTED OLD LEECH!" Nabiki stared in wide-eyed shock as her aunt yelled at the top of her lungs at her great-grandfather. Why didn't her aunt like him? She never would explain why. The verbal barrage only lasted a few moments though and Kasumi eventually came back on the line.

"Oh my. Perhaps, it would be best to go with your idea, Happosai-ojiisan. Akane seems to be in a bad mood," Kasumi explained in a slightly distressed voice. "I'll ask Ranma to drop by when it's safe."

"Check, Kasumi-chan!" Happosai remarked and then to Nabiki instructed, "Say good-bye to your mom, Na-chan."

"**JA NE, MOMMY!**" Nabiki called out, waving at the handset. As Happosai hung the phone up, she asked, "Ne, Ojii-sama, why is Akane-obachan mad at you?"

"All I wanted to do was give Akane a present," Happosai said mildly. "See..." He dug into his sack of ill-gotten gains and pulled out a set of tiger-striped silk panties. "I just asked her if she'd like to wear these."

The eight year old paused momentarily while the older girl in her head muttered something about Happosai's actions being typical. "If Akane-obachan doesn't want them... Can I have 'em?"

"Iie!" both Happosai and the older Nabiki answered sharply.

"Why not?" the youngster asked, "I could be strong like Lum-chan!" The old lecher stared dumbfounded at the child while the older Nabiki started howling with laughter. "Well, I could!" Nabiki Saotome remarked to the older girl in her head.

"Gomen, Na-chan, but... these babies are a little too big for you."

"Oh..." Na-chan pouted disappointedly and then suddenly brightened, "You can give those to Daddy, Ojii-sama!"

Happosai froze in his repacking of his sack as the busty image of Ranma Saotome in girl form wearing nothing but the tiger-striped panties flashed through his mind. This delightful thought was just settling into the old man's mind when his young companion remarked, "Daddy could give 'em to Mommy."

Suddenly, the very sexy looking Ranma-chan morphed into an enraged looking Ranma-kun. "Uh..." Happosai squeaked out, "Let's get going, Na-chan! I'm starved!"

# # # # #

"Nihau Nabiki-chama!" Shampoo cried upon spotting the little girl. The buxom Amazon maiden deftly flung the bowls of ramen that she had been carrying to the waiting customers and rushed to pick up the youngster.

'Chama?' the teenager wondered as little Nabiki was lifted off of her feet and crushed to the teenage girl's bosom in an affectionate hug. 'I dunno,' Na-chan responded.

Shampoo had found herself torn between calling the little girl "_Nabiki-sama_". After all, the eight year old was her savior's daughter. Addressing the little girl in a more befitting fashion was therefore mandated by Amazon law. It was a Japanese television show that had solved her dilemma. Simply put, the Amazon had melded the two together. As far as the eight year old was concerned, it was just some strange form of address that Chinese people used.

"Happosai," Cologne remarked as she hopped over on her staff to glare down at the old man with his gunnysack of stolen undergarments, "What brings you here to our humble establishment... and in the company of this cute young lady?"

"We came for supper, and to let Na-chan clean up."

"Why Nabiki-chama need clean up? You no look dirty to Shampoo." Little Nabiki blushed brightly and stared away from the beautiful purple-haired girl.

"Na-chan had a little accident while leaving school, my dear," Happosai remarked. "And she would prefer not t... uh let Ranma find out."

"Hai!" Na-chan remarked promptly.

"Mousse, mind store," Shampoo called to her would-be suitor, "Shampoo get you all clean! You come." She offered her hand.

"Arigato, Shampoo-chan," Happosai replied. "I think I might..."

"Stay right here, Happosai, and tell me EXACTLY why you came sniffing around here," Cologne demanded. Nabiki giggled as the two ancients glared at each other, and then she took Shampoo's offered hand and left with her.

# # # # #

After a very nice bath and a very large meal, little Nabiki Saotome was feeling rather contented. She was dressed in silk pajamas (apparently one of Shampoo's from when she was little) and a very warm fuzzy pink bathrobe.

"Now," Cologne began as the three of them settled onto comfortable pillows around a low table, "Normally Mousse would see to any cleaning but Shampoo does not trust him to do it properly."

"If Shampoo-oneechan doesn't let him do it, he won't learn how to do it, ne Cologne-obaasama?" Nabiki commented. She shifted to a more comfortable position on her cushion while at the same time eyeing a plate of chocolate chip cookies that were on the table.

"True," Cologne agreed. She saw the look the little girl was giving the cookies and pushed the plate forward while saying, "Except Mousse does not wear his glasses as he should. If he did, he'd be fine."

'He's still blind as a bat with them,' the older Nabiki supplied. "Oh..." the youngster squeaked but she didn't take a cookie. She hadn't been given permission after all.

"Help yourself, dear," the old Amazon offered. She took one. The old woman then sighed and snapped at Happosai, "Must you do that?"

"Nani?" Happosai asked innocently, a red silk demi bra pressed to his cheek.

"That!"

"Oh!" the old man remarked, "Well... I was just checking the quality of the material and..."

"Later, Happosai, you wanted my advice, so you can paw your '_collection_' some other time." The old man sighed then after a moment, he placed the bra back into his gunnysack with great care.

"Nabiki-chan," Happosai began gingerly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Nani?" the little girl questioned with a mouthful of cookie.

"Well... Do you have a friend we can't see?"

"She's not my friend. She's mean!"

Both elders' eyebrows rose knowingly. "Honto? Why is she mean?" Cologne inquired.

"Just 'cause..." Nabiki replied evasively.

"Would it be okay if we talked to her? Maybe we can help." The eight year old shrugged. "What's her name?"

"She's named Nabiki like me, Obaa-sama."

The two elders regarded one another before Happosai sighed. "Would you do something for me, Na-chan?"

"Hai!"

"Close your eyes and pretend that you're sitting in a really comfy chair."

"Why?"

"Can you do it, Nabiki-chan? You have a good imagination."

"Hai," Nabiki agreed before stuffing the rest of her second cookie she had been eating in her mouth. She closed her eyes and pictured herself as her great grandfather requested. She did not see Happosai take on a reddish glow. She felt a tickle behind her left ear and giggled slightly. When she heard the old man's voice again, it sounded like it was echoing slightly.

"Now, Na-chan, can you tell '_Nabiki_' to come where you are?"

"She's mean, Ojii-sama," Nabiki remarked.

"I know, sweetheart. Don't worry. We're gonna tell her to be nice to you." Little Nabiki Saotome had always wanted to make friends with the girl inside her head. It seemed all the older girl ever did was criticize her. If Happosai and Cologne could make her behave, it would be really nice.

Cologne, and Happosai who was still glowing red, watched the eight year old intently in silence for a few moments then the little girl spoke again, "She's here."

"Hai. Now I want you to get up out of the chair and let your friend sit down." The youngster pouted at this request. "Come on, Na-chan, be a good girl."

"Hai. I s'ppose so," the little girl agreed with reluctance. About thirty seconds of silence passed before her body slumped forward. Nearly another minute passed before the youngster straightened. Her eyes snapped open wide and appeared to be looking around.

"Shimatte!" exploded out of the youngster's mouth but it was in a different voice. Both elders blinked in surprise. "This feels weird!"

"Do you see her ki change too, Happosai?" Cologne asked. The old man nodded but continued to stare at the little girl in surprise. "Nabiki-chan said your name was also Nabiki."

"Hai. That's right, Nabiki TENDO."

"Tendo? Like my student, Soun Tendo?"

"Hai! I'm his musume," the youngster confirmed while trying to sit up straight. She immediately fell back. "Whoa... Gomen... Remind me not to do that again. It's making me dizzy. I don't think I could even walk in this body."

"Indeed. Why not?"

"It's about nine years younger than mine for a start, Happosai."

"Why did you possess little Na-chan here, Nabiki? Are you some kind of disenfranchised spirit?" Happosai demanded in an agitated voice while pondering, 'Nine years? Did Soun sire a musume, who died, after Kasumi?' It didn't seem likely; Soun was no lady's man.

"Kaji."

"KAJI?" The ancient master of the _Anything Goes School of Martial Arts_ leapt away from Nabiki as if she'd just brandished a set of Genma's old boxers. In the process, he brushed against his gunnysack causing a small pile of purloined lingerie to spill onto the floor. "Oh Kami-sama!"

"Who is Kaji?" Cologne asked, now watching Happosai who was looking more than a little worried.

"Oh, my poor pretties!" the diminutive master moaned distractedly while he starting to repack his treasures. He yelped when Cologne rapped him hard with her staff. "Watch it, Old Ghoul!"

'Some things never change... Hai! Poor Ojii-sama.'

"I said **WHO IS KAJI?**" the Amazon Elder demanded.

"A demonic arbiter," the old man replied while rubbing a large bump on his head.

'What's an '_R biter_'?' little Nabiki questioned the older girl, 'Does he eat R's?' Both adults looked strangely at Nabiki as she giggled. 'What's so funny?' Na-chan demanded.

'Well...' Nabiki started, paused for a moment, and then explained, 'An arbiter is someone who helps people stop fighting. He makes sure both people follow the rules.'

'Nani?' the youngster replied after a moment, 'Sounds boring.'

The youngster's face wrinkled slightly as the teen Nabiki remarked, 'Well, you follow the rules all the time, ne?'

'We're s'pposed to... ne? Hai! So? So? I asked first!'

The teenaged Nabiki shook her head and sighed. 'I'm confused.'

'Me too,' the little girl admitted and mentally snuggled back against the older girl. 'Are they still talking?' The eight year old looked up to see both Cologne and Happosai ignoring her, which was annoying.

The two adults were unaware of the internal banter that occurred between the two Nabikis. The ancient Amazon elder, after a few moments of silence, had only one comment, "Oh my." She did so in a fashion that strongly reminded Nabiki of her sister Kasumi.

"That evil bastard. Why did he do this to my poor innocent Na-chan? Damn him. He'll pay dearly..."

"Happosai!" Cologne hissed and pounded her staff on the floor. "There's a child present!"

'Nani? Did Ojii-sama say a naughty word?' Na-chan asked but was ignored.

"**Not to her, baka!** TO ME!" Nabiki shouted at Happosai while standing up. Unused to her smaller body, she wobbled and would have toppled to the ground if not for Cologne catching her. "Arigato, Cologne."

"So why did he do this to you then, child?" It seemed so odd hearing polite little Nabiki speak like this.

"Um... He's not happy with me."

"Why?"

There was a fairly lengthy pause and then Nabiki seemed to answer someone other than the two people in the room with her. "I guess you could say I was very naughty."

"Indeed. But why does Na-chan think you're mean?" Cologne chimed in.

"Um... You see... It's 'cause I told her that she needed a good spanking!"

"Why?" Happosai questioned.

"She's a major brat at home. She demanded to have bubble bath in the furo." What irked her is how easily Mommy... Kasumi gave in to it.

The old master's only reply to that was a rather large sigh before saying, "Not again..." He cleared his throat. "Na-chan usually wants to make friends with everyone, Nabiki. Why aren't you two getting along?"

"That's because I want her to work on improving her math score and there's a..." Suddenly, the youngster gave a yelp of pain and flinched. "Ouch! Na-chan, don't kick me!" This brought a snicker from the old man. "Listen, please, Cologne, Happosai, you have to help me!"

"Gomen nasai, Nabiki-san. I can't," Cologne remarked promptly.

"Why not?"

"To tangle with a demonic arbiter would bring hardship to our tribe. I have a duty to protect them first."

"I'll help, if only to help Na-chan out," Happosai offered. "I think I might have something I picked up..."

"In other words, stole from the Amazons," Cologne interjected.

"I'll have you know, Cologne, it was not! I worked hard for it!"

"And what exactly is it, Happosai?" Nabiki questioned.

"A certain mirror... It should help you."

"Well, Kami-sama... Haul the damn thing out then!" A pause. "Gomen, Na-chan."

Happosai suddenly looked pensive. "I guess I could go get it."

"I thought you said you HAD it?"

"I DO... but it's stashed somewhere safe OUTSIDE of Nerima."

"Oh no... So exactly how long is this gonna take?" Nabiki inquired tapping her foot.

"I don't know," the gnomish man tapped his chin in thought, "A couple of days maybe... three at the most." He bowed his head. "Gomen nasai, Na-chan."

The youngster's body suddenly slumped and after a few moments, righted itself again. "She went away, Happosai-ojiisama," came the voice of Nabiki Saotome. "I wanted to sit on her knee so we could both talk. Didn't work..." The little girl sounded very disappointed. "Nabiki-oneechan's pretty... You're welcome."

"Don't worry, Na-chan," Happosai remarked. "I'm sure she'll be friends with you now... but you should work on your math."

"But it's REALLY hard," the little girl whined.

"I tell you what, Na-chan. If you get over ninety on your next test, I'll get you a present."

"Honto?"

"I promise!" Happosai remarked and patted her gently on the head.

Just at that moment, Shampoo burst into the room glowing as if all her dreams had come true. "Ranko-oneesama here!" No sooner had she set foot further into the room when Ranma Saotome appeared, or rather the female version of Ranma Saotome appeared.

"Hubba hubba. Nice outfit!" Happosai exclaimed.

"Ranko-obachan!" Nabiki squeaked in delight. Getting up, the child rushed to her father. Meanwhile, the teenaged Nabiki was in shock. Ranma was not only in girl form but also wearing a rather fetching pink skirt and red sweater combination with a yellow bow in her long hair.

"You like, minna," the rather well-endowed twenty-six year old redhead asked the room as she twirled about before lifting little Nabiki up into her arms.

'I'll say!' the teen Nabiki commented, 'Woof!'

The youngster wrapped her arms around her father and hugged him. "Ranko-obachan?"

"Nani sweetheart?"

"What does _bastard_ mean?"

_End of Chapter 3_

Coming next in _**Chapter 4 - Differing Points of View**_

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	4. Chapter 4 Differing Points of View

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "_Innocence of Mine_" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com domain.** **Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Chapter 4 - Differing Points of View**

**L**ater that night as eight year old Nabiki lay in bed, she once again grumbled to the older girl riding in her head. 'Are you trying to get me into trouble, Onee-chan?' she complained, 'You made me say a naughty word! What if Mommy finds out?'

'Gomen nasai. I didn't mean to say it, Na-chan,' the teenage Nabiki apologized, 'I was just really mad.' There was a sulky silence. 'Come on. Do you think I'd really get us into trouble?'

'Iie...'

'Of course not... I mean I'm in here with you so anything that happens to you happens to me too.' Na-chan rolled to her side and hugged a stuffed animal to her chest. 'We're gonna study math real hard, ne Na-chan?'

'Hai... Guess so,' the youngster replied, sounding both sulky and sleepy.

'You want Happosai-ojiisan to give us that present, ne? And maybe if you're REALLY good, I'll go away.'

'Don't...' The little girl gave a tremendous yawn. 'Want you go...' Her thoughts trailed off and the teenager knew the little girl was sound asleep. It was an odd feeling, being awake yet knowing that the body she inhabited was drifting rapidly into sleep. Nabiki smiled to herself as she felt Na-chan snuggled against her.

'You're a sweet kid,' Nabiki thought fondly to herself and then allowed her own mind to finally drift into slumber.

# # # # #

Ranma Saotome in girl form was sitting on a low stool in the room where the furo was located thinking deeply. Idly, he soaped the back of his neck leaving a trail of water and suds in the wake of the sponge just cold enough to keep from transforming.

As had happened on a few occasions in the past, the gender-altering martial artist was deeply worried about his daughter. Certainly, he loved her. There was no question in his mind about that. It only bothered him slightly that Nabiki did not want to continue his family's tradition in the Art. There was still time. Nevertheless, if she did not start soon, it was unlikely that she could ever attain master status and with that, inherit their dojo when she came of age.

Should he apply some friendly parental pressure? 'After all, I was forced into it by my old man and look where it got me?' He smiled ruefully down at his curvaceous feminine form. 'Although my cursed form does have certain advantages... I know what Kasumi-chan likes.' Kasumi greatly preferred his male side but was not averse to cuddling with his female form occasionally.

With an effort, he stopped himself from following a Happosai-like line of thinking about his lovely wife. Ranma sighed and started scrubbing his flat feminine belly, frowning at the floor slightly. 'Something's going on with Nabiki, I just know it.' He wished his daughter would confide to him. 'Hell, I wish she'd get into some trouble now and then.' Not that Ranma wanted his daughter to misbehave. All the same, it would have comforted him to know that she was getting into the same sorts of pickles he had gotten into at that age. Of course, Kasumi was the disciplinarian in the home. 'I suppose if Na-chan were more aggressive, we'd share responsibility.' He tried, and failed, to picture Nabiki being naughty. She was just too timid and shy for that. If she could be more like Akane...

The recently voluptuous female was jarred from his thoughts by the opening of the door to the furo room. Turning slightly, he saw Kasumi Saotome standing there wearing only a robe. She was looking rather coyly at him. Outside, the January wind seemed to howl but inside, the room's temperature suddenly rose by twenty degrees!

"Husband," she declared in a rather formal sounding voice, "Would you like me to wash your back?"

He looked about the room cautiously. "Is Nabiki-chan asleep?"

"Hai!" Kasumi smiled then, "And our fathers are watching a baseball game on TV."

"Then I would enjoy your assistance, my love." He felt his body reacting as he watched his wife undress. Kasumi simply smiled at the reaction she was getting. She had learned much in a decade of marriage to Ranma.

'Kuso!' the pigtailed martial artist thought, 'Kasumi's putting on a show!' Kasumi apparently knew what she was doing to him and was doing it on purpose. By the time she was done, Ranma was quivering in excitement.

"Ran-ma-chan," she breathed in a tone that made him glad he was sitting, "May I have the pleasure of attempting to make another baby tonight?" She pointed at the warm waters of the furo. The only response she got, and it made Kasumi grin evilly, was a small squeak of consent.

# # # # #

Kaji stood silently atop the fence surrounding the Tendo compound and frowned up at the house inside. Things had been going "_too_" smoothly. He considered his options and then sighed. Perhaps, he had given his mercenary associate enough of a shock. If the truth were to be known, he was feeling slightly paternal.

A small smile formed on his face as he sensed his ever-present companion, "_Mamoru_". He gritted his teeth as a single tentacle slid silently into place beside him. "Should I end this, Mamo-chan?" His silent partner shrugged; it didn't care one way or the other. "Perhaps I should shrink Akane instead. She was always very rough on Saotome-kun... Of course, she never did anything to me like her onee did."

He stood there for a while longer musing about what to do before he sensed the approach of a human. Ensuring he was not seen, Kaji faded away, just as Ryouga Hibiki came into view.

# # # # #

Little Nabiki was not having a good start to her morning. She was grumpy because she was tired. She was tired because she had wet the bed during the night. This would not have been a total disaster if the bed she had piddled in had been her own. Unfortunately for her though, it had been Akane's and the teen was more than a little livid. What was even worse for the little girl was the fact that her aunt seemed intent on relating every accident she had ever spawned to their early morning guest, Ryouga.

Na-chan normally liked the lost boy - it had only taken him three days journey to arrive. Ryouga was something of a big brother to her. He could be fun to be around and was extra kawaii when he transformed into a pig.

'Oba-chan!' She was embarrassed. Akane was making her sound like a helpless infant! Her passenger was silent. Luckily for Nabiki, Ryouga wasn't even looking at her; his gaze was firmly entranced upon her ranting aunt.

"Akane," Ranma interrupted, "There is an expression that says '_If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all._'"

"Then, Kami-sama, put a lock on my door!" she countered. Ranma stretched reminding Nabiki that her father was in his cursed form. "And another thing, why are you in girl form?"

"I have certain errands to do which are much easier when I'm a girl," Ranma explained calmly. "Besides, it's helpful for showing some men that they ain't better than women." He winked at his wife.

"And as to the lock," Kasumi chimed in, "You shouldn't need to lock your door, Akane. Nabiki just wanted to cuddle and what happened was an accident."

'That's right!' the teenaged Nabiki suddenly remarked stoutly, 'I can't believe my imouto is being this bratty!'

'Hai...' Na-chan agreed silently, 'Akane-obachan yells a whole lot.' "G-Gomen nasai, minna... I-I just forgot to go..." little Nabiki offered unhappily while trying to look as repentant as possible. 'I wish I'd hurry and grow up.' Her mother has assured her that she would grow out of it soon.

"That's okay, Nabiki-chan," Ranma reassured his daughter. "Mommy and I forgot to wake you up." He grinned goofily at Kasumi. 'We were _very_ busy!'

Akane erupted at this point. "Excuses! Excuses! If she was my kid, I'd spank her little behind!"

Kasumi, apparently seeing that her husband was about to explode, steered the conversation to their guest. "Please excuse my imouto's behavior, Hibiki-kun," the lovely mother of one remarked bowing her head, "She has had a very bad night."

"Don't worry, Saotome-san. I'm just glad I could come and comfort Nabiki-chan," Ryouga replied diplomatically and then turned toward Akane. "Akane-ch... Tendo-san, would you walk to school with me?"

"Not on your life, Ryouga!" Akane snapped. The young man gave a disappointed squeak. "The last time I did that we wound up in Kyoto." Not that their four-day trek together had been all-bad. Nevertheless, she ended receiving an "F" on an English test given in her absence, which she had to make up after school.

"Gomen, Akane-chan, but you did look so very kawaii on the beach in that swimsuit."

"Nani? Swimsuit?" Kasumi questioned.

"He meant my school swimsuit from last term, Onee-san," Akane offered quickly before giving Ryouga a hard glare. He wasn't supposed to mention the beach there. "I was taking it to school for swim class." Ryouga had noticed that her swimsuit appeared to have grown a little tighter since the last time she'd worn it. Nabiki watched her mother open her mouth as if to make further comment when a new voice entered the picture.

"Ho! What cur be this that doth desecrate my fair Akane Tendo-chan's space!"

'Kuno!' both Nabiki's thought happily.

"Be gone, you filthy swine!" Kuno demanded as he strode into the room from the engawa, "Or I shall smite thee!"

"Boys!" Ranma hissed in a very soft and feminine tone of voice, "You don't want to be knock holes in _my_ walls, so take it outside."

"But of course, Saotome-sensei..." Kuno complied, bowing to the martial arts master. His gaze lingered momentarily on Ranma's substantial breasts. If "_she_" were about ten years younger and not married...

'That was truly weird!' Nabiki Tendo commented, 'Then again, **this is Kuno**.' Na-chan agreed. 'Hai, he always talks funny.'

"That's okay, Saotome-sensei. I was just leaving with Akane."

"I think not!" Kuno countered and swung his Kendo sword up to halt Ryouga's departure.

"You think you can beat me, Kuno?" Ryouga asked with a toothy grin.

"I have triumphed before, knave."

"Once!" the Hibiki boy shouted and without further warning, he launched himself at the upperclassman.

Nabiki for her part would have liked to stay and watch the ensuing battle but her mother had hustled her off to get ready for school. By the time she left, everyone but her grandfather and mother were gone.

"Otou-san," Kasumi asked Soun, "Could you walk Nabiki to school today?"

"Certainly, Kasumi-chan!"

Soun replied, "Are you all set, Na-chan?"

"HAI!"

# # # # #

The school day for Nabiki Saotome was, thankfully in her opinion, trouble-free. Well, except for the fact that she had been sent to stand out in the hall holding the class bucket during her last class because she wasn't paying attention. She hadn't been paying attention because the older Nabiki had been silent since they arrived.

'Nabiki-oneechan?' Na-chan thought in a worried tone, 'Did you go away?'

There was a long pause in which no response came and then, the teenager's voice said, 'Hmm?' It sounded distracted.

'You were quiet,' the second-grader remarked.

'I was thinking, Na-chan,' Nabiki replied, still in a distracted tone of voice.

''Bout what?'

'Why worry? You wanted me to go, ne?'

This question caused the youngster to frown. She didn't want Nabiki to go away forever; she just wanted her to stop pestering her about schoolwork. On the other hand, her older self made her lessons more fun. At least, Na-chan could talk to her during the more boring bits. She'd gotten worried when Nabiki had been so quiet. 'What were you thinking about?'

'Nosey neighbor today, ne Na-chan?' Nabiki commented sarcastically.

'Are you mad?' There wasn't any response. 'Nabiki-oneechan?'

'I just wanna get out of here!' the seventeen year old replied. Before the little girl could inquire further, the bell sounded ending the school day. Jumping slightly, she hurried back to her desk to gather her things and prepare to leave for the day. She prayed fervently that she wouldn't run into the bully.

# # # # #

Upon entering her home, little Nabiki froze and sniffed the air. Her eyes widened and she gave a cry of delight. "Cookies!" She flung her shoes off and pelted down the hall to the kitchen in her socks. Unseen by any of the inhabitants, Kaji crept into the home and watched with interest. The eight year old skidded on the floor as she entered the kitchen. Then she lost her balance and landed with a thud on her butt. 'Careful!' the teen in her head admonished as she giggled.

"Are you okay, Na-chan?" Kasumi asked her daughter.

"Hai!" Nabiki chirped while getting to her feet.

"Would you like a cookie?"

The youngster positively squirmed in delight as she nodded her head. As her mother held out a plate of still warm cookies, the little girl asked, "Mommy, can I have two?"

"Two?" Kasumi asked, "Why two, Musume? You'll ruin your dinner."

"I get one and _Nabiki-oneechan_ gets one." Seeing her mother's puzzled look, she explained, "Nabiki-oneechan is being really grumpy. I think she needs a nap."

"Well if she's grumpy," the mother reasoned, "Maybe she shouldn't get one."

"_Pleeeeease_ Mommy?" Na-chan pleaded while staring up at her mother with a beseeching look that never failed against her father. There was a momentary internal struggle and then Kasumi gave in with a nod. "Hai!"

'Hey! That's not fair!' the teenaged Nabiki whined as her hostess skipped from the kitchen and down the hall, 'You get two and I don't get any!'

"I got one for you, Onee-chan."

"Arigato," came a new voice. Much to Nabiki's horror, Akane snagged the second cookie and before the child could protest, she stuffed it into her mouth. "But I'm still not forgiving you for wetting my bed, pipsqueak." Kaji was irritated by Akane's crass attitude.

"What do I do?" little Nabiki asked her older counterpart.

"Nani?" Akane asked in a puzzled tone.

"Not talking to you!" Nabiki snapped at her aunt and then blushed brightly. "Gomen."

"Listen, you," Akane began in a menacing tone while moving her face closer to the youngster's. "If I ever catch you in my room again, I will spank you so hard you won't be able to sit for a week!"

'Onee-chan?' little Nabiki questioned while backing up.

Kaji, on the other hand, was not pleased. Nabiki was supposed to be learning a lesson from him, in a controlled way. He was not going to allow some bratty teen to abuse this defenseless child.

"I don't like you, pipsqueak," the teenager commented. "I wish you weren't my niece."

In the next moment, several things happened. Kaji's expression changed and for an instant time froze. No one except Kaji saw as the sixteen year old's form blurred and began to shrink. Akane's arms and legs toned by years of martial arts and various athletics shortened, becoming smaller, although retaining their proportional strength. Her modest-sized chest flattened then became non-existent. Her pubescent curves vanished as her frame grew smaller. In contrast, the teenager's hair began to lengthen until it was to the small of her back. A large blue ribbon materialized atop her head.

Kaji briefly considered changing Nabiki's age as well but then dismissed the idea. Nabiki was doing well at the moment and there were still some lessons to be learned. He'd save a younger age in case her progress stagnated.

In the next instant, time unfroze and then teenaged Nabiki said sternly, 'Cry!' Little Nabiki thought the idea was a good one so she plunked herself down onto the floor, and started to bawl at the top of her lungs.

Kasumi seemed to materialize out of thin air as she came charging out of the kitchen. "Oh my, what happened?" she demanded as she knelt down beside her youngest.

"S-She took my other cookie, Mommy!" the little girl whined, tears streaming down her face. "I would've shared. Honest." There was some loud sniffling before she continued, "Akane said she didn't like me and was gonna spank me for wetting her bed!" Unseen by either Nabiki or Kasumi, newly elementary school-aged Akane was looking stricken.

"What's going on?" Ranma in boy form asked as he came quickly down the hallway dressed in his gi. "I heard Nabiki-chan all the way in the dojo."

Kasumi stood the youngster up, produced a tissue, and held it to the eight year old's nose. "Blow." Nabiki did so, and felt much better. 'Huh?' the teenaged Nabiki commented upon seeing her much smaller sister. 'That's weird?'

"Nani?" Nabiki mumbled.

"Ranma, could you watch supper? Akane and I need to have a serious talk."

"Hai... Na-chan, wanna help?"

"She should change into her play clothes first, Ranma-chan," Kasumi suggested while taking her daughter by the hand, "Come along, young lady." Both Nabikis watched Akane being led down the hall. The nine year old had a stunned look on her face.

# # # # #

Akane Saotome sat in acute embarrassment as she did her homework. She glanced up at her little sister who was busily coloring a picture with a crayon, the tip of her tongue firmly lodged in a corner of her mouth.

The former teen turned her attention back to her Grade 4 verb conjugation assignment with a silent sigh. She couldn't fathom why she had been so mean to Nabiki and she felt rather bad about it. She remembered doing it. Akane was certainly not going to blame the consequences of her actions on her younger sister.

She wanted to apologize to Nabiki, to tell her that their mommy had scolded her for a good five minutes. Wanted to tell the eight year old that their mother had then proceeded to threaten a spanking would be Akane's next stop if there were anymore naughtiness that day. Kasumi was, if nothing else, traditional. The nine year old wanted to do all that but couldn't. She was worried that Nabiki wouldn't forgive her.

"Onee-chan," Nabiki said from right beside her. Akane jumped in surprise and stared wide-eyed at Nabiki. The young girl was holding out a piece of paper. "I drew you a picture."

"Honto?"

Nabiki nodded. "Please don't be mad." The youngster gave Akane a nervous look as the older girl took the paper. "It's Ryouga-kun and P-chan. See?"

Akane grinned and gave her sister a huge hug. "Sugoi! Um..." She released it and bowed her head. "Gomen nasai, Na-chan."

Nabiki hugged her sister back and asked, "Was Mommy really mad?"

"Hai!" A blush spread across the regressed girl's cheeks.

'Maybe she'll be nicer now, Na-chan,' the teenaged Nabiki chimed in to her younger counterpart. 'Nani? Onee-chan's always nice. She's the _bestest_ onee in the whole world,' the smaller Nabiki countered. 'Yeah well... Well what? I'm glad she likes the picture. I wonder what Mommy did?' The teenager shook her head. 'That's between Akane and Mommy, Na-chan.'

"Imouto-chan?" Akane asked.

"Nabiki-oneechan was just saying she hopes you'll be nice."

"I will be! Promise!" Akane smiled then and regarded the picture again, "Do you think that Ryouga-chan will like this?"

As if on cue, a new voice broke into the conversation, "Konnichiwa Akane-chan! Nabiki-chan!" Both Saotome girls looked up to find Ryouga Hibiki standing in the doorway. "What's new? Is your dad around?"

"Ry-chan!" chimed in the voice of Ukyo, "Did you find Ranma-san?"

"Not yet!" the transforming martial artist replied. Moments later, Ukyo appeared.

"You dare speak to the '_Great Ukyo_'?" came an enraged voice. Both girls turned to find Kuno standing in the other doorway leading to the veranda.

'Woah!' the teenaged Nabiki voiced, 'He's hooked on Ukyo?' Again, Na-chan disagreed. 'Nani? Hooked? Iie, he's always like that.'

"You will desist from this nefarious endeavor!" Kuno demanded in a stern voice while brandishing his bokken.

"I will defend Ukyo's honor for I am engaged to her!" Ryouga replied while moving into a defensive stance holding out his umbrella.

"What means '_engaged_'?" Akane asked her sister.

Na-chan shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe Nabiki-oneechan knows." She waited to see if the teenager would explain.

'It means Ukyo is his girlfriend.'

When Na-chan informed her sister, Akane grew angry. "Ryouga-chan's MY boyfriend!" The lost boy gave the little girl a pained look and then promptly forgot she was there.

Meanwhile, Na-chan was startled when her older self started howling with laughter. Before Akane could make any more protests, Ryouga was saved by Kuno leaping upon the dining room table and declaring, "You foul cur. I, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, will strike you down, you worthless cur!"

'What's a cur?'

'It's a dog,' the teenaged Nabiki supplied through her continued laughter.

"But Ryouga's a pig, ne?" Na-chan remarked in a puzzled voice.

"You are right, my fair little damsel," Kuno agreed, giving Nabiki a little bow, "I will eradicate this _SWINE_ from your abode."

"I'll be right back, U-chan," Ryouga told Ukyo before pecking her on the cheek.

This particular action made both girls go, "Eew!" Kuno growled and leapt towards Ryouga who dodged easily and ran out of the room.

"Boys are _so_ weird!" Nabiki remarked.

'Daddy's a boy,' the teen in her head pointed out.

"Iie, he's Daddy."

"Nani?" Akane asked in confusion but before Nabiki could explain, there was a crash from somewhere in the house. "I better go hide and do my homework."

"Can I come too, Onee-chan?" Nabiki asked hopefully.

"Hai..."

"Sugoi... I'll get us more cookies... Ja Ukyo-oneechan." And skipped after her sister.

# # # # #

The next evening Kasumi watched as her two children played happily in the furo together. Whatever trouble there had been between the two girls earlier the day before was now gone. Nabiki, apparently having had a very good day, was spiritedly trying it tickle her sister while avoiding being tickled herself. Akane was playing in kind and both children were giggling. Kasumi smiled and watched contentedly.

"Nabiki-oneechan says you cheated!" Nabiki squawked as she backpedaled around the furo.

"I did not!" Akane replied and stopped dead in her tracks. Nabiki took this opportunity to reverse her direction and go towards her sister at top speed.

Kasumi shook her head. Akane was taking her little sister's imaginary friend with good grace. The young woman wasn't quite sure what to make of it though. In one sense, she thought it was cute. She had worried because of the onetime Nabiki had said her friend thought she needed a spanking. It appeared, however, that this was cleared up and both were children back on good terms. Kasumi did not want to disapprove strongly of Nabiki's little friend. After all, this "_Nabiki-oneechan_" was encouraging Nabiki to do well at schoolwork, something neither Kasumi nor Ranma had had success in doing.

'Maybe I'll take her to Tofu-sensei,' Kasumi thought. 'He can have a look at her and talk to her. Nabiki's always liked him.' A worry struck her then. 'Perhaps, Nabiki's invisible friend isn't so imaginary.' She would wait and see what Grandfather Happosai thought. 'He should be here tomorrow or the next day.' The mother of two briefly considered telling Ranma and then shook her head. 'Iie... he'll only worry. And it seems to be doing Nabiki some good.'

Kasumi was drawn from her thoughts when Akane got out of the furo. "Are you done, Onee-chan?"

"Hai," Akane replied, wrapping a towel about her. Then she said, "Na-chan?"

"Nani?"

"Com'here for a sec."

Nabiki came over to the edge of the tub and regarded her sister. "Whatcha want, Onee-chan?"

"**TAG!**" Akane shouted tapping her on the shoulder, "**YOU'RE IT!**" And with a giggle, she dashed from the room.

"A-KA-NE!" Nabiki protested. Before Kasumi could stop her, Nabiki leapt from the water and chased after her sister, completely devoid of a towel.

'You'd think she was four,' Kasumi thought with a sigh. She got up, grabbed a dry towel from the cupboard, and went in search of her wayward daughters.

# # # # #

Seventeen year old Nabiki Tendo opened her eyes to find herself at the bottom of a grassy, flower-dotted hill. She felt a warm breeze blow through her hair and as she lifted her eyes to the sky, she felt the warmth of the sun.

Slowly walking up the hill, she came to the top and looked about. There she saw a little girl whom she recognized wearing a pretty sundress, her hair done up in pigtails. As she got closer, the cute little girl spotted her and her face broke into a huge grin.

"Nabiki-oneechan!" the eight year old cried. She ran forward and hugged Nabiki about the legs. "Come see the bunny!" the youngster demanded and taking Nabiki's hand tugged the older girl over to where a pair of small cottontails was blissfully nibbling clover.

"Kawaii!" Nabiki exclaimed softly and sat down on the grass a few meters from them. Na-chan immediately crawled into her lap.

The brunette hugged her younger counterpart. "I like your hugs, Onee-chan," Na-chan declared. "They're like Mommy's." Nabiki giggled and tightened her hug for a moment before letting go. The eight year old took on a serious look and slid from the older girl's lap.

"What's wrong, Na-chan?" she questioned her younger self, "Do we need the bathroom?" She tried to sense whether her dozing body needed to relieve itself. She didn't think so. Her sister had awakened her during the evening to make sure she didn't have an accident. That had been how both she and Akane had wound up sleeping in their parents' bed with Kasumi. Poor Ranma was relegated to the edge of the bed.

"Can I ask ya somethin', Onee-chan?"

"Hai."

"Do you like me?" Na-chan asked before biting her lip nervously.

"Of course, I do, Na-chan. After all, you're me!" The youngster stared at the teenager. "Or will grow up someday to be me... and be very pretty."

"Oh... How is it being grown-up?"

Nabiki lay back in the grass staring up at the puffy white clouds that took on different shapes. She smiled as little Nabiki laid down, her head resting on Nabiki's arm. "Well, it can be hard, Na-chan. Lots of schoolwork and stuff." Na-chan grimaced. "But you do get to do fun stuff like staying up late and watching lots of different shows and... boys start to like you."

"Any bullies?"

"Hai, sometimes, I sick Akane on 'em but mostly, they don't bother me. I'm too strong."

"Like Daddy?"

"Well... Iie, but I'm really smart and I know how to talk to them and stuff. They don't like me but I don't show 'em I'm scared."

"How come? I gets scared lots."

"And that's what a bully wants, Na-chan. They're mean. They want you to be scared."

"Oh..." Na-chan chewed her lip again. "I want 'em to be my friends."

"And some can be," Nabiki conceded, idly thinking that she would strive to be Ranma's friend if she ever got out of this place. 'Did Kaji make Akane small?' Nabiki didn't really like that idea even though she was a lot more likable that way. 'Am I supposed to be learning something here?'

The eight year old pushed herself into a sitting position and nervously asked, "Onee-chan?"

"Hmmm?" Nabiki noised while looking at the younger girl.

"Think I should tell Daddy about the bully?"

Nabiki pushed herself up on her elbows and considered the thought. "Na-chan, I think you should. Or at least tell Akane. She's your onee after all." 'And probably tougher than you.'

"I guess so," Na-chan said reluctantly but Nabiki got the impression that the eight year old would do just that. The teenager stretched out on the grass feeling the sun's warmth. "Mommy must be hugging us." She felt the little girl snuggled closer to her and wrap a small arm across her chest.

"Onee-chan, you got _boobies_ like Mommy does."

"Hai!" Nabiki replied proudly.

"Will I get them..." Nabiki nodded. "When I'm older, ne?"

"Hai!"

There was a long silence and Nabiki felt herself drifting. Meanwhile, to her left, little Nabiki was already snoring. In the real world, Nabiki Saotome snuggled against her mother and started to snore softly. The mother of two smiled and rubbed the youngster's back.

# # # # #

That same night in a far off cave, the ancient School of Anything Goes Martial Arts Master sat and stared at his panty collection. Choosing some of his favorites, he carefully packed them into a little case. Into this silky nest, Happosai carefully placed a mirror, its edging engraved with ancient text. He sighed and after a moment placed more of his silky delights atop the precious cargo. Once done and with the case sealed, the old master and panty thief turned to his remaining horde.

"Now, my pretties, which ones should I give to Ranma-chan?" With renewed vigor, he started sifting through his collection of pilfered property. After a moment, he added, "And which ones of you should I give to Nabiki-chan after I change her back?" It was still difficult to believe shy little Nabiki was really seventeen in the flower of womanhood. Little girls do grow up. He hoped she would follow Kasumi (or Ranma) and not Akane in the bust department.

There were not many things that could attack Happosai by surprise, at least not if it wasn't female and busty. A demon tentacle was one of the things that could. The old panty thief froze as a tentacle touched him reinforcing the new realty that was controlling Nerima. After Mamoru was sure that Happosai would not cause too much trouble, he quietly left the cave, on the way picking up a pair of panties that seemed rather familiar.

The old master paused and frowned as he looked over his shoulder. "Could have sworn there was somebody there." As the he turned back to work, a lone tentacle slid away into the night.

Mamoru chuckled silently to himself. Kaji would not be pleased about the mirror, but Mamoru wasn't about to spoil the show. Happosai wouldn't dare cross Kaji, and if the old man did, it would be even more interesting. The demon tentacle briefly wondered if Kaji had turned Akane Tendo back to her normal age yet.

_End of Chapter 4_

Coming next in _**Chapter 5 - Elementary School Blues**_

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	5. Chapter 5 Elementary School Blues

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "_Innocence of Mine_" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com domain.** **Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Chapter 5 - Elementary School Blues**

"**C**ome on!" Akane Saotome pleaded in frustrated tone of voice. Nabiki who was lagging several steps behind looked up toward the voice. Her nine year old sister was standing atop a cinderblock fence parallel to the sidewalk looking exasperated. "You're being a real slowpoke today, Na-chan."

"Onee-chan, Mommy says you're not s'pposed to be walking on the fence!"

"You gonna tattle?" her older sister wondered. She was now walking backwards on the fence.

'Should I, Onee-chan?' little Nabiki asked her teen self. 'Well...' the teenaged Nabiki mused, 'I wouldn't admit to it, but if she's doing something wrong...' The teen shrugged. "Iie! I ain't no tattletale!"

"Good! Now hurry up or we'll be tardy, Imouto-chan!" Akane begged. She loved her little sister dearly but sometimes she wished Nabiki would try to have a little fun occasionally and not worry so much. Turning back around, Akane did a cartwheel and started to skip along the fence top. Whining, Na-chan rushed after her sister. The eight year old found it completely unfair that her older sister could be so bright-eyed and bushytailed this early in the morning. In contrast, by the time that Nabiki was roused for school, Akane had already been up for at least an hour working out with her father down in the dojo.

'Forget about her, Na-chan,' Nabiki suggested, 'We got a math test today. You're gonna help me, Onee-chan... ne? Of course, I am!' The teen smiled internally as she felt her younger self sigh in relief. 'I really don't like math, Onee-chan. But I know you said it's important.'

Nabiki momentarily lost sight of her sister as she rounded a corner. Seconds later, Akane let out cry of surprise and said a word that had even the teen Nabiki blushing. Running forward, the pigtailed little girl found herself staring at her big sister lying facedown in a snowdrift.

Nabiki snickered although it was cut short when her sister rolled over and glowered. Instead of backing down, Nabiki sang, "Now whose gon-na be tar-dy, A-ka-NE?" and skipped past her. Akane sat on the pavement dumbstruck by her timid sister's uncharacteristically brash comment.

'Onee-chan!' Na-chan noised, 'You made me look mean!' She took over the internal reins and stopped in her tracks. 'Akane might be hurt. I got to say gomen.'

'No way. It's her own dang fault for not listening to Mommy,' the seventeen year old argued, 'She shouldn't've been on top of the fence showing off.' Before she could respond to her elder counterpart, Akane appeared beside her. The girl didn't say anything so the remainder of their walk to school was made in silence.

# # # # #

"Nabiki-chan!" her friend Minako called out and waved. Nabiki gave Akane a hug, much to the older girl's embarrassment, and rushed over to her friend. Moments later, Ruri joined them and they fell into conversation about that morning's antics surrounding Miko and Niko.

"I can't wait, minna! Their movie's coming out Saturday!"

Nabiki's eyes opened wide. "Nani? Tomorrow?"

Ruri shook her head. "Iie, she means _next_ Saturday."

"Aww, that's a LONG way away," Na-chan whined. 'Maybe Mommy 'n' Daddy will let us go to the movie if we do good on the test,' the teenage Nabiki mused. "Minako-chan, Ruri-chan, did you study for the math test?" she asked her two seven year old friends.

"Math... test?" Minako stuttered, eyes suddenly wide with concern.

"Hai," Ruri remarked, "I did BEFORE Minako-chan came over." Her parents had babysat the little girl while Minako's parents attended a company dinner. She then regarded Nabiki. "You forgot to study too, ne Na-chan?" That was the normal scenario.

"Iie... Why?"

"You're still gonna flunk it."

"Nani?"

"Gomen, Na-chan," Minako remarked with some solace, "But you always fail!" She knew that mathematics was Nabiki's worst subject. She felt marginally better knowing that at least, she'd best her shy friend as per usual.

"But my onee-chan helped me study... even if I didn't like it."

"Akane?" the little blonde squawked in a condescending voice, "She's only good at hitting stuff." That girl was scary as far as she was concerned. Nabiki would have jumped to her big sister's defense but at that moment, the bell rang.

# # # # #

'Onee-chan?' Nabiki Saotome asked quietly as she took her seat at her desk near the back of Classroom 2-2.

'Hai?'

'You can ace this, ne?'

'Absolutely!' Nabiki Tendo declared enthusiastically, even if she didn't feel 100 percent confident. 'Uh... But I might not get it perfect. Some of those math questions were really hard!' The eight year old didn't bother pointing out that her passenger had been doing some of Akane's Grade 4 math problems. Fractions? It was Greek to her.

Later that morning as they filed out into the cold crisp air of the schoolyard during lunch break, Nabiki looked for her older sister and was not disappointed in finding her. She was talking with some of her friends from her class. Smiling, and ignoring Ruri and Minako who frowned, she ran over to join Akane and a group of her friends.

"Onee-chan!" she called out. The nine year old turned around, a pained expression passed over her face.

"Nani?" Akane asked in a terse voice.

"Nabiki-oneechan helped me with my math test." One of Akane's friends snickered. Nabiki didn't add that, to her tremendous delight, she had been the first in her class to finish it, a fact that both of her friends took great notice.

"Then why don't you go introduce her to Minako and Ruri. Your little friends are waiting for you." 'Gomen, Na-chan.' Nabiki turned and found that it was true - Minako was indeed waiting for her. She had a scowl on her face and a one little foot tapping as the youngster's fists rested on her hips.

"But..."

"Look, IMOUTO, I don't have time to play with a baby who can't even be in Grade 3," Akane scoffed. She then turned her back on Nabiki. She hated doing that to her sister but her social status demanded it. She promised to make it up to her after school. 'Gomen nasai. Why can't Nabiki be a third-grader?' It was not the first time she'd asked that question. If Nabiki were one, that would make talking to her at school a little more acceptable. 'Mommy just said it was 'cause of when her birthday is.' The youngster sighed internally. It could be worse though; Nabiki could be her _older_ sister.

Crestfallen, Nabiki sniffled, turned, and walked slowly back to her friends. However, she didn't find any solace there because both Minako and Ruri refused to speak to her.

# # # # #

Akane Saotome had changed into her street shoes and was exiting the main Oizumi Elementary School building at the end of the school day, when she saw her sister and her two best friends standing under a large tree. The smallest of the trio (Nabiki) appeared anxious. Ruri was resigned but Minako was looking torn between outrage and misery. Puzzled, she walked quickly and stealthily towards them. It was a difficult task to do considering her brightly-colored school uniform. She arrived just in time to her Minako say, "I'm gonna get a spanking..." The little blonde looked dejected. Akane decided to stay back to observe the three second-graders.

"Why?" Nabiki asked eyes wide.

"You got a better score than me," the child with the red ribbons howled. "Sensei said she was gonna call Mommy!" The little girl had gotten a mere four of the twenty simple addition and subtraction problems right. "It's all your fault, Nabiki!"

"Minako-chan... Why would it be my fault?" Nabiki asked the taller girl, completely bewildered. Tears were starting to form. She still held her test with a big red ninety-five in her hand. 'Why ain't they happy for me?' Neither Nabiki had an answer.

"You could've let us cheat too!" Ruri winced at the remark.

"Even Miko-chan knows it ain't nice to cheat," Nabiki interjected. 'HAI!' the teen Nabiki agreed enthusiastically. "I studied really hard with my onee-chan." 'Ojii-sama will be happy too, ne? Hai! I hope he gets back soon. Hai, he's been gone a long time.'

"You could've let us copy your paper at least," Minako grumbled. She jabbed her finger at Nabiki who backing up, tripped, and fell onto the grass on her rump.

"Gomen nasai, Minako-chan," the pigtailed girl on the ground apologized.

"Minako, are you nuts?" Ruri demanded. Until today, copying off of Nabiki would have been the quickest way to FAIL a math test. She chalked it up to some kind of fluke unlikely ever to be repeated. In Ruri's opinion, Minako deserved whatever she got.

Akane cleared her throat. Ruri's eyes snapped to the sound and went wide. She stared at the sudden appearance of the older Saotome child. "Sempai..."

The nine year old had been hoping her little sister would stick up for herself. "Are you hurting _my_ imouto?" Akane asked calmly. Ruri rapidly shook her head. Minako, having recovered slightly, quickly helped Nabiki up off the ground before turning her attention to the new arrival.

"Ko-Konnichiwa Saotome-sempai!" Minako greeted her friend's sister and bowed.

As Nabiki got up to dust herself off, Ruri bowed her head and squeaked, "Please don't beat us up, sempai!"

"I'm not a bully," Akane growled menacingly then put her hands on her hips and proudly declared, "I'm a martial artist."

"Nani? There's a difference?" the seven year old blonde asked, although not as coolly as she had hoped. "Gomen."

Akane sputtered for a moment and then elaborated stiffly, "I don't go picking fights or beating up people just for the fun of it. My 'rents would come down on me like a ton of bricks!" 'Especially Daddy.'

"Would you get grounded, sempai?" Ruri interjected.

"Would you get a spanking, sempai?" Minako followed, thus both girls defined what they considered an ultimate sanction.

The nine year old snorted. Not that Akane dismissed such punishments out of hand; they were her mother's domain, for normal kid naughtiness. However, any misuse of her school's teachings or ideals went straight to her father for possible consequences.

"_MY_ dad's a **MASTER** of the _Anything Goes School of Martial Arts_. It really does mean ANYTHING goes." Ranma could be quite inventive with consequences if conditions required it. He constantly surprised her in various training exercises. The one involving pickled plums had been a little too creative in her opinion but she had wisely kept that feeling to herself.

"Onee-chan, we should go," Nabiki commented, a little embarrassed.

"Hai!" Akane replied and took her sister's hand. "Come on." As they walked towards the school gate, she thought that Nabiki was pretty good as little sisters went. She'd heard horror stories about some of her friend's little siblings. Outside the gate, both children were surprised to see their mother waiting for them.

"Ready?" she asked her two girls.

"Hai!" they answered.

"Good, well come along. We're going to see Ono-sensei."

"Yeah!" Nabiki chirped. "I can show him my bestest math test ever!"

"Oh my, Nabiki... What have you been doing?" Kasumi asked, finally taking in the rumpled state of her youngest daughter's school uniform. As her mother was brushing off Nabiki's skirt, the child kept trying to show her the math test. Finally giving up, she shoved it towards Akane. "See Onee-chan?"

Akane took the paper, glanced at the mark, and said the first thing that came to mind, "Minako was right. You did cheat."

"**DID NOT!**" Nabiki wailed.

"Hush!" their mother commanded. "I need to get you to Ono-sensei's, and then, we need to get home and start supper." Nothing Nabiki could say would induce their mother to look at the math test, which Akane still held, instead the trio started down the sidewalk, Nabiki pouting the entire time.

# # # # #

While the three Saotomes headed off towards Dr. Tofu's clinic, Happosai was making his own way back to Nerima. He might have made it in that evening except for a distraction he accidentally stumbled upon along the way.

The old wrinkled grandmaster of the _Anything Goes School of Martial Arts_ had been bouncing from rooftop to rooftop when he came to alight upon one nondescript roof. He was about to launch himself again when he froze in place. His eyes widened and a tiny river of drool started to run down his chin.

Completely unnoticed, Happosai's grip on his gunnysack loosened and its contents slid down the roof and vanished over the edge. The old man didn't even notice. As he moved towards the backyard with its clothesline of gently flapping brassieres, he mumbled, "A goddess must've descended from Heaven... No Earth woman has endowments THAT large!"

He nearly fainted as he realized that he could almost snuggle into one of the large padded cups without trouble. "Kami-sama has blessed me this day!" he whispered, tears rolling down his eyes.

# # # # #

Dr. Tofu Ono looked up from a patient's chart as the door to his waiting room of his Nerima clinic opened. He smiled as he saw Kasumi Saotome enter. He had known her for years. They both attended Furinkan High School - she was a senior when he was a sophomore. He mused if things had been different, if Kasumi Tendo and Ranma Saotome had not been affianced by their fathers when they were small children, Tofu was positive he would have married Kasumi. He had even sought Soun Tendo's permission after he graduated; that was how he had found out about the marriage contract. It made sense to the young physician since given the two fathers longtime friendship. Additionally, that there were no male heirs to the Tendo Dojo and Kasumi had no aptitude in martial arts whatsoever. While the betrothal was certainly a startling even devastating revelation, Tofu was not deluded enough to believe he could talk the elder Tendo out of it. Like the Saotome clan, the Tendo Family was steeped in tradition and honor that martial arts demanded.

The future young doctor had went away quietly to lick his wounds. By the time he returned, Kasumi was in her third trimester with Akane. He was glad he could remain friends with Kasumi and her children. He even became friends with Ranma, respected the young martial arts master, and felt relief over time that Kasumi at least had a man who treated her right.

"Konnichiwa ladies!" he declared and bowed flamboyantly. Akane and Nabiki giggled. "What can I do for you, Saotome-san?"

"I wonder if we could speak privately, Ono-sensei?" Kasumi asked formally.

"Certainly," Tofu replied and motioned for her to come into his small office. Kasumi told her daughters to wait quietly and went into his office taking a seat as Tofu closed the door.

"Tofu-sensei, I'd like you to have a look at Nabiki," Kasumi requested. "She's been sleepy a lot lately... Out of sorts sometimes too."

"Can you tell me more, Kasumi-san?" The mother of two gathered her thoughts and started to explain.

Meanwhile, Akane was trying to cheer Nabiki up. Nothing she did though was working. Her sister refused to look at her and instead, the youngster was stretched out on her back on one of the couches and mumbling to herself.

"Na-chan!" Akane finally shouted.

"Nani?" Nabiki asked, sounding much more like her old self.

"Don't be mad at me."

"I'm not, Onee-chan," Nabiki remarked. She then shifted to her knees and pressed her small nose to the window to look outside.

# # # # #

Dr. Tofu watched Kasumi lead Akane by the ear into his second examination room. He figured, hoped, that Kasumi would only scold Akane for walking the fence that morning. The fact that her nine year old had confessed to such a transgression was slightly puzzling. The doctor suspected it had a lot to do with Nabiki, exactly how though he wasn't sure.

"Come on, Na-chan," Tofu instructed and led the youngster into the other examination room and closed the door. "Can you sit on the table for me?" The little girl nodded and skipped over to the bed. She sat there, legs swinging slightly, looking rather happy.

"So, Na-chan, how was school?" Tofu asked while he pulled up a low chair and started a physical exam.

"Sugoi!" the youngster chirped, "Look Ono-sensei, I got a '95' on my math test!"

"Honto?" Tofu questioned in an interested voice. "You must have studied hard."

"Hai. My onee-chan helped me."

"Akane-chan helped you? That was nice of her."

Nabiki shook her head. "Not Akane, sensei, Nabiki-oneechan."

"And who is she?"

"She's older than me and likes math a whole lots." The eight year old made a disgusted face. "But we gots a good mark. She's really nice and very pretty."

"I see... Is she here with us now, Na-chan?" The girl nodded. "Where is she?" Tofu asked, looking around as if in apparent attempt to find this amazing tutor.

"Here, sensei!" Nabiki squeaked. "I'm sitting on Onee-chan's knee."

Tofu smiled knowingly. "Oh... It's nice to meet you, Nabiki-oneechan." He bowed to the little girl.

The youngster frowned and began in an uncertain voice, "She says '_Yo_'... 'Nee-chan was worried you'd go..." The youngster paused for a long moment before continuing, "Psy... Psycho-spastic, whatever that is, at seeing Kasumi since you gots a thing for her." Giving the doctor a deeply puzzled look, the eight year old asked, "What do you have for Mommy, sensei?"

"I... uh..." Tofu was flustered. His glasses fogged over for a moment. "I mean..."

"Oh!" Nabiki declared, eyes wide, "Nabiki-oneechan said you loved Mommy, ne?" Tofu nodded. How could she have known? Maybe the child had overheard Kasumi mention it.

"Na-chan, I don't suppose I could talk to your onee-chan... alone?"

"Hai! I'll go play with Miko-chan and Niko-chan!" Before Tofu could react to that statement, little Nabiki's body crumpled forward. Out of instinct, he caught the small form. Apparently, she had fainted. Her Ki still seemed strong. Before he could begin to make a determination, the little body shifted and straightened.

"Baka..." the eight year old mumbled, a small hand rising to be stared at as the fingers flexed and unflexed.

"Nabiki?" Tofu asked.

The eight year old lifted her eyes and a grin grew on her face. "Yo, Tofu-sensei! Gomen about scarin' the poop outta ya."

"You're the person Na-chan refers to as '_Nabiki-oneechan_', ne?" he asked warily. There was a definite presence, which was both familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.

"Hai!" the youngster replied with a nod. "Not sure... Maybe you can do an aura thing. I could probably answer some really boring questions but Na-chan would want me to explain to her and that can take forever sometimes." She whispered, "Little kids you know..."

"Why are you around Na-chan?"

"I don't mean Na-chan any harm, Tofu-sensei. I'd be pretty baka to do so. I'm Nabiki **TENDO**." The little girl sighed. "Nabiki-chan's a very nice person, but she needs some help growing out of her shell."

"Where is she?" the doctor asked. "She mentioned something about playing with Miko and Niko?"

"Yeah, she took off and left me holding the reins so to speak. I didn't think she could give up control to me that easy."

"You sound worried," Tofu remarked.

"Yeah... Well..." There was a pause and the youngster's head turned as if to glance over her shoulder before looking back at Tofu. "She's gonna have to face up to some big stuff like telling someone about... _stuff at school_, sensei."

"Nani? Like what?"

"If Na-chan wants to tell you, she can. In fact, let me get her. We need to pee somethin' fierce and if I let us wet ourselves again, I'll never hear the end of it." Again, the small body slumped shortly to return.

"Onee-chan was right! Can I use the bathroom, Ono-sensei?" Dr. Tofu nodded mutely and let the youngster go. He watched as the little girl ran from the room. He cupped his chin with his right hand and pondered over what he'd encountered.

# # # # #

"Is it anything serious, Tofu-sensei?" Kasumi asked a short time later as the pair sat alone in Tofu's small office.

"No," Tofu explained, "I examined her, Kasumi-san. Physically she's fine. There are signs that she has some extra Ki. Given how strong your husband is though, that's not unexpected. It's certainly healthy and positive."

"But her behavior?"

Tofu considered, "Nabiki-chan has always been quite introverted and shy with other children, mostly due to her petite stature. It's possible that she wants to expand her horizons a tad. I think maybe there's something going on at school which is putting some extra stress on her that Nabiki's now handling it in ah... a unique way."

"Honto? At school, like what?"

Tofu rubbed his earlobe thoughtfully for a moment. "Nabiki-chan did say that her friends were a bit upset that she got a better mark than they did on a math test today. Anytime there's a disturbance in the equilibrium of a social group, there's bound to be chafing until new roles are determined." The woman stared blankly. "She might just be worried that her friends won't like her anymore if she performs better at school."

"Oh my!" Kasumi hadn't considered that possibility. "But she is okay though, ne Tofu-sensei?"

"Hai! If you're looking for something truly concrete, think of it as Nabiki starting to eke out a place for herself with the guidance of one of your ancestors. A preteen girl most likely." Kasumi blinked in puzzlement. "Your father told me once he was happy you had given one of your children the name of Nabiki."

Once Kasumi was reassured her youngest daughter was in no danger, she came out to the waiting room to find that both her children were in a good mood. The girls were chasing each other about, laughing and giggling. Akane had taken the mild scolding well, accepting the fact that fence-walking without supervision was not something either of her parents condoned, even if Ranma had done it during his teen years. Now was it something Kasumi secretly wanted Nabiki to try.

"Well, come along we need to get home and start supper. Your father's probably starving after his workouts all day."

"Can we go skating after school tomorrow, Mommy?" Nabiki asked.

"Since you got such a good grade on your math test, Nabiki-chan, I think we can."

"Onee-chan too?"

"Well..." Kasumi paused.

"Please Mommy? I like skating with Akane! She's really good."

"Hai. We'll all go skating tomorrow then."

"Yeah!" Nabiki shouted while jumping around. She halted and gave her mother a serious look. "You don't think I cheated... ne Mommy?"

Kasumi's eyes went wide. Kneeling down, she rested her hands on Nabiki's shoulders and stated, "Iie! Of course not. What made you think I would?"

"Well, Mommy, Minako-chan and Ruri-chan thought I did. Minako-chan said she'd get a spanking 'cause I did..." That didn't make any sense to her. "She did really bad on it." 'Minako should've studied.' It was that simple to the second-grader.

"Well, Nabiki-chan, I know you wouldn't cheat. You studied hard and tried your best and I'm proud of you." Nabiki beamed happily. Akane smiled. "Now come on, girls, let's get home before your father goes and buys out the Cat Café _and_ Ukyo's."

_End of Chapter 5_

Coming next in _**Chapter 6 - Ready! Set! Flush!**_

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	6. Chapter 6 Ready! Set! Flush!

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "_Innocence of Mine_" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com domain.**

**Arigato for the great comments. We have included Japanese Terms (Romanji) resource page on our **_**Shoujo Fiction**_** site for anyone who would like the definitions. For those who hate Romanji under any circumstances, we do have many other stories on our site from which to choose. Only a fraction is posted to FanFiction dot net. Some stories such as our **_**World of Velaria**_**™ series, do not use any Romanji. Please keep those comments coming! **

**Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Chapter 6 - Ready! Set! Flush!**

**A**fter supper that evening, Nabiki Saotome found herself in the unusual position of having her father's undivided attention while Akane was present. Her older sister was sulking in a corner of the dojo and Ranma was pointedly ignoring the girl's bottom lip, which was so far out, it threatened to trip anyone that came near her.

Akane was mad not because her kid sister was there. She wasn't even that upset that Nabiki was showing off her (in Akane's humble opinion) rather lame excuse for a baton twirling routine. She was pouting because her father had informed her that she'd just have to wait until she was ten before she could learn a special kata she'd discovered in an old scroll of Happosai's.

Na-chan for her part couldn't really understand why her sister was mad. On the other hand, Nabiki Tendo thought that Akane was simply jealous of Na-chan's presence. The older girl considered the dojo her turf, and in most cases, it would have been. Their father, however, had been very pleased with his youngest daughter's math score. That deserved to be rewarded.

As a treat to her invisible companion, Na-chan had gathered up her courage and asked her father if she could show him her baton twirling routine. He agreed to watch. Nabiki immediately began her routine but only got a few seconds into it before her father interrupted it. "Hold it, Nabiki." He turned to his other daughter. "Akane!" Ranma snapped. "Come over here, and watch Nabiki properly."

"I can see it fine from over here, Daddy."

"Akane!" Grumbling, she came over and sat in seiza beside her father. "You know, Musume, not learning every single kata that the Kami created by your tenth birthday is not going to kill you." The nine year old mumbled something that sounded like, "_Is too,_" but neither father nor sister could tell. "Na-chan, please show your onee and I your baton routine."

"Hai!" Nabiki happily squeaked and began her routine again. Things soon deviated from the normal into the surreal.

Ranma for his part wasn't sure whether to be slaw-jawed impressed or severely annoyed by his youngest daughter's prowess. The tiny eight year old had started out with a simple ordinary routine but she had rapidly progressed into increasingly more complex moves. The pigtailed martial artist watched the display in awe; his normally shy daughter was demonstrating a confidence that rarely emerged. Now if only he could get her to apply that dedication of baton twirling toward martial arts. That brought up a thought. Was there a martial arts baton twirling discipline? He would have to check into that.

One reason there was such conflicting emotions for the father of two was the fact that midway through another set, Nabiki had suddenly produced a second baton. He made a mental note to ask Mousse if he'd taught his daughter any of the hidden weapon techniques because Ranma couldn't figure out from where she had pulled the second baton. If that wasn't enough, his petite little girl didn't even appear to be paying attention to what she was doing, yet she hit her marks every time. He considered... Martial arts gymnastics for Nabiki? 'Not likely,' he decided. 'No reason for Nabiki to associate with Kodachi Kuno. That girl is nuts.'

Akane for her part was watching in a wide-eyed dazed fashion.

Meanwhile, unknown to either Ranma or Akane, Nabiki Saotome and Nabiki Tendo were having a private conversation about their next day ice skating session. They were debating whether they should try to get Ruri and Minako to come too. Both believed that Ruri could come but doubted that Minako would be allowed.

The baton twirling routine continued for a couple minutes more before coming to an end. "Sugoi!" Ranma praised his daughter while clapping his hands. He became worried when Nabiki didn't respond. She just stood and stared out into space, her eyes slightly unfocused. "Na-chan?" The youngster shook her head as if just waking up and looked around. "Ne, Musume, are you okay?" Na-chan nodded. "I said that was sugoi." Grinning, Nabiki dropped the batons to the mat and flung herself at Ranma who hugged her. "Maybe we should give you a braided ponytail like mine," he teased while gently tugging on one of her pigtails.

"I like my pigtails, Daddy!" Nabiki protested.

"I like them too, Na-chan. You look very kawaii especially with those pink ribbons," Ranma remarked. Nabiki beamed.

It took the youngster a moment or two to spot the fact that she had two rather than one baton. "I did it again?" Na-chan inquired, sounding annoyed. Ranma chuckled.

"That was very good, ne Akane-chan?"

"HAI!" Akane agreed and then added, "I'm jealous!"

The eight year old blinked. "Why?"

"'Cause I can't twirl a baton to save my life. Gomen, Na-chan," the older girl admitted. She hoped to make up for some of the things she'd done the day before.

"**You're fibbing!**" Na-chan exclaimed in shock. "Onee-chan, that's not very nice!"

"Honto?" the gender-changing man challenged. "Na-chan, let's sit here and see if your onee is telling a fib." The little girl rapidly nodded. Akane was really smart and athletic. It should be no problem for her. To Nabiki, it was a given that Akane could do anything she could do even better. She hoped someday to be as good as her sister. She waited to be impressed. Ranma decided Akane could stand a little humility in this situation.

'Oh man!' the teen Nabiki complained as Ranma helped into a "_proper_" sitting position. 'Seiza position... Kami-sama, our feet are gonna go to sleep!'

'But Onee-chan, Ojii-sama always sits like this.' The teen didn't bother pointing out that Happosai had about 300 years of experience doing it. 'I hope he gets back soon, Na-chan. Hai! Happosai said we'd get a present. Present?' The teen Nabiki nodded. 'If we did really good on our math test. I don't 'member... He promised to give us a treat. Oh...'

# # # # #

The next day it turned out that neither Ruri nor Minako could go with Nabiki. Ruri had a music lesson that afternoon. As for the little ribbon-wearing blonde, her parents had grounded her for a week. Instead of getting dessert, Minako's parents had decided she would do twenty math problems before being sent to bed early. Her cat figured she should have gotten a spanking and grounded. Neither Ruri nor Nabiki questioned the fact that Minako's cat (named Artemis) could talk. After all, Miko and Niko did and they were bunnies.

Minako later admitted that she would have much preferred a spanking; at least it would be over with quickly. Na-chan, naturally, had a hard time even conceiving of such a notion. Then again, Nabiki had never been punished in that manner that she could remember. Akane had on occasion and Na-chan had always felt badly for her sister after it happened. The teen Nabiki strenuously requested they change topics, say to the lump on Akane's head she'd received from the baton the night before.

'Thank the Kamis!' Nabiki Tendo breathed as the school bell sounded. 'Nani?' Na-chan asked. 'Nothing,' the invisible teen answered in a grumpy tone. Na-chan sighed. 'I hope I stay a kid forever!'

The morning seemed to drag on forever but finally it was time to pack up to go home. Nabiki waved farewell to her seven year old friends and ran out of the building. She was happy to see that both Ranma and Kasumi were waiting for them. Once Akane joined them, the little family headed off to the ice rink.

'I wonder if Azusa will be there?' the older Nabiki mused. 'I hope not! Why? 'Cause she tried to take my skates!' Na-chan frowned as the teenager roared with laughter. 'It ain't funny! Hai, it is. No, it ain't. I was still in 'em! She kept calling me _Charlotte_!' Much to the pigtailed child's annoyance, her passenger laughed even more. 'Oh don't be mad, Na-chan. You are _very_ kawaii,' Nabiki Tendo soothed.

Na-chan might have remarked on that comment but a low moan from her father caused her to look up. Just then, a massive truck went by throwing water up so that the entire Saotome family was drenched.

Thankfully, Ranma had taken the brunt of the water blast, which had instantly changed the martial artist. Not for the first time, Nabiki Tendo wanted to have a camera fast enough to catch the transformation. She wanted to watch in slow motion as his sculpted muscles, manly chest, and six-pack became soft and sexy curves and large breasts of a fully-grown woman.

Both Nabiki's attentions were drawn to Akane who was cussing loudly. She had changed from her school uniform at school into a T-shirt, sweater, and a favorite pair of jeans. Thanks to the water though, those same jeans made the nine year old look as if she'd wet herself.

"Akane said a naughty word!" Na-chan exclaimed.

"Get a backbone!" Akane retorted, brushing at her damp pants.

"Akane Saotome..." Kasumi began.

"Let's go! I'm gettin' cold!" Na-chan whined, hoping to distract her parent. It worked and the hurried on their way to the ice rink.

# # # # #

Fifteen minutes later, both Nabikis were very pleased by the change of clothes their mommy produced. Kasumi had brought a set of pink leotards, a pink miniskirt, and a white T-shirt to wear under a fluffy pink turtleneck sweater. To top it off, a yellow beret and yellow mittens. Akane looked disgusted when she came out of the changing rooms.

"You're just jealous, Onee-chan," Nabiki observed and stuck her tongue out before carefully stepping out onto the ice and skating slowly away. She liked her skating outfit.

'I like our outfit too, Na-chan,' Nabiki assured her younger counterpart. 'So do we just skate around in circles?' Not that the teen would've minded that but she decided she had better ask in case Na-chan decided she wanted to go play and gave her the reins.

'We can do figure eights, Onee-chan,' Na-chan replied, 'Akane-oneechan can do lots of stuff though. She's REALLY good! She's the bestest onee.'

'Akane maybe, not me. I'd likely fall flat on my face,' Nabiki commented. 'I can skate but...' She had a hard enough time walking in this tiny body.

Akane skated up beside her, and then around her. "Try skating backwards, Imouto."

"Can't."

"Come on, Na-chan. Just try," Akane encouraged. "I tried your baton act." Nabiki looked dubious. She knew how _that_ act had turned out for her sister. "I'll help you."

Reluctantly, the younger girl agreed. After several painful minutes, little Nabiki was skating backwards. The only problem was she could only go in a straight line. Finding this boring, she went back to her regular albeit undemanding skating habits.

"Akane-chan!" Akane looked around. "Hey Akane-chan!"

"Who's that, Onee-chan?" Nabiki asked. She saw Akane wave back at an older girl.

"That Misako. She's in my class."

"Oh..."

"I'm gonna go say hi." When Nabiki started following her, Akane amended, "Alone, Nabiki."

"I can say '_hi_' too, Onee-chan."

"She's not calling you," the nine year old argued and then skated away at a rapid rate. Nabiki stuck her tongue out at her sister's retreating figure and then giggled at her own daring before going back to her own skating.

'Could we twirl a baton?' Na-chan asked her older half. And then added as an afterthought, 'You should let your hair grow so you can put it in pigtails, Onee-chan... You'd be kawaii.'

'We could try twirling...' Nabiki interrupted, sounding slightly dubious.

Ranma in girl form, who had been skating backwards while holding his wife's hand, glanced around the rink to check on his children's whereabouts. He was annoyed to find that Akane was not with her little sister.

"Oh don't worry, Ran-chan," Kasumi soothed when her husband commented on the fact. "Nabiki's a _little_ embarrassing to Akane."

"That wouldn't happen if we didn't coddle her so much."

"You want Na-chan in tears most of the time?" Kasumi asked with an eyebrow raised. She stopped and had her hands on her hips.

"Iie," the gender-switching male countered, "But it would be nice to see Nabiki being naughty for a change. She's a milquetoast."

"That's not fair!"

"Hai... Gomen, gomen, 'Sumi-chan, but a strong sneeze would send her ass over an apple cart." Ranma glanced about searching for the timid eight year old. When he saw Nabiki, he tripped over his own feet and the couple went down to the ice in a heap. "I'm seriously going to have a talk with Mousse!" Nabiki had done her "_hidden baton_" technique again.

Kaji perched on a rafter high above the rink laughed. The demonic arbiter didn't mind lending a bit of magic to allow little Na-chan to do the trick. It was harmless as well as it helped raise her self-esteem. It was time to pay his business partner... correction "_little_" friend a visit. With a snap of his fingers, he vanished. Time stopped for everyone except Nabiki Tendo.

Down on the ice, the teenaged Nabiki was alarmed to see Kaji appear right in front of her. Small arms and legs flailed wildly as she suddenly found herself in control. She was saved from a fall when Kaji reached out a hand and snagged her.

"**Kami-sama! Don't DO that!**" Nabiki hissed angrily. "I could get really hurt! Worse, Na-chan could get hurt!"

"Gomen, Nabiki-chan," Kaji replied, sounding as if he meant it. "I just wanted to visit and see how things are going?"

"Ne, did you do this?" Everyone in the ice rink was frozen like a statue.

"Better that way."

"Did you regress Akane?"

"Hai! So how are things going, Nabiki-chan?"

"Good, things are tough but..."

"But?"

"Well... I don't want to complain but Na-chan's just too well-behaved. She's nice and all, Kaji, but I was never this well-behaved when I was little." She didn't mention that she was not this small at this age either.

"Indeed. And your point is?"

"If something doesn't change, she'll be clinging to Kasumi's apron strings her whole life. That isn't good."

Kaji considered and then offered, "Well, I could make you... her exceptionally naughty." The youngster's eyes opened wide. Pigtails and pink ribbons flapped about as the seventeen year old inside the eight year old shook her head. "Don't like that idea, ne Nabiki-chan? That would solve your problem."

"It's... not a problem... It's just... Kaji, I do like having Kasumi as my mommy. I really missed having a mommy..."

"And Ranma?"

"I dunno... He's into '_The Art_' an awful lot. Na-chan doesn't like that kind of stuff."

"He could help with other stuff... say somersaults."

Nabiki tilted her head and placed a slender finger alongside her face. "Yeah, that would work." She sighed, "But Na-chan is..."

"A milquetoast?"

"Hai, pretty much," the teenaged Nabiki agreed. "I know you're doing this to show me something about being nice. Fact is though I think it's unrealistic." Kaji cocked an eyebrow. Nabiki sighed. She wasn't making much sense. She looked straight at the arbiter then. "Are you doing that baton thing? Daddy almost had a heart attack."

"Nani? Me? It's you're... I mean _her_ skill." With that, the demon vanished, everyone instantly resumed their activities, and Nabiki Tendo found herself trying to calm a very irate Na-chan who was demanding to know why her onee-chan had abruptly kicked her out of the chair!

# # # # #

"**A-KA-NE!**" Kasumi called while waving at her eldest daughter. Akane, who had been attempting (and failing rather spectacularly) to perform a double axel, gave her a mother a grumpy look. She was annoyed because she was putting on a show for the others.

"Nani?"

"Come here!" Kasumi ordered, motioning the tween towards the entrance. Reluctantly, the girl skated over. "Akane, go find your imouto. We're getting some hot cocoa and she hasn't come out of the bathroom yet."

"Mommy! Why me?" she questioned while rubbing her bruised rump. She and Misako almost had it right.

"Because you are her onee," Kasumi replied. "Besides, you definitely need a break, Akane-chan."

Fuming, Akane came off the ice putting on a set of indoor shoes after taking off her skates. Misako said she had to leave. 'Baka little kids!' Akane whined silently and then sighed, 'I guess I shouldn't be mad. She is kawaii like this though.'

It didn't take Akane long to find the girl's bathroom. It took even less time to glean that the reason Nabiki hadn't appeared as someone was sitting atop her.

Nabiki had been startled to find Naomi, the bully from school, in the bathroom. The eight year old might not have even been harmed had she heeded the teenager in her head who was shouting to walk quietly away while the bully had her back turned. Na-chan, however, had a determination to be friends with everyone. So she had patiently waited for the bully to turn around.

By the time Akane arrived, the third-grader had pinned Nabiki facedown to the tile floor and had decided to use the youngster's slippers as a set of drumsticks. Na-chan was trying hard not to cry; the bigger girl had threatened to stick her head into a toilet and flush it if she did.

Hope swelled within both Nabikis when they heard Akane's angry voice. "What are you doing to MY imouto?"

"Piss off, little girl!" was the reply.

"Do you know who I am?"

Naomi paused in her drumming, much to Na-chan's relief. "You think you know about some fancy martial arts crap." The nine year old growled. She knew who this kid was. The girl wasn't in her grade but she was a known bully.

"It is not crap!" Akane shouted to the girl who was about of equal height and weight to her.

"That ain't like real fighting. That shit's only for Eta." Akane stiffened. Eta had been the lowest social class during the Shogunate era. Eta were always given the dirtiest, smelliest jobs. "So go away, little girl." With that, the bully turned back to her work.

"**ONEE-CHAN!**" Nabiki wailed.

Akane acted purely on instinct. Rushing forward, she cocked her fist. The bully started scrambling upwards but wasn't quick enough. The enraged Akane's fist crashed into other girl's nose connecting right at its bridge point. Meanwhile, Naomi got a couple of good punches into her opponent's body before Akane backed away. Naomi began to pursue and as she came into range, Akane pivoted on the ball of her left foot, raised her right in such a way as it was behind the bully's knee and then, heaved with all of her strength.

Nabiki, who had by then had scrambled for cover under one of the washbasins, watched in horrified fascination as her tormentor sailed backwards in a shower of blood to crack her skull on the tile floor. Not one to give an opponent an advantage, the young martial artist pressed her attack. The fight might have gone on much longer but Ranma (still in girl form) came in at that point looking for both his missing children.

# # # # #

A span of minutes later, Nabiki found herself the center of attention. A small group was clustered in the skating rink's infirmary. Naomi sat on one of the beds, her mother beside her, looking miserable. The only damage to Naomi, at least physically was a bloody nose, a small bump on the head, and a throbbing ankle.

Akane was there as well sporting a few bruises. She was trying to be as unobtrusive as possible by standing behind the chair that her mother was sitting in. Nabiki for her part was being cuddled on Kasumi's lap while the little girl retold the events that had led up to the fight to her parents and Naomi's mother.

Ranma, now in male form, was glaring daggers at Naomi. "So you see," he explained once Nabiki's story had concluded, "Akane was just protecting her imouto. I believe this was honorable under the circumstances."

"I messed up, minna," Akane confessed softly bowing her head from her position behind her mother. The nine year old felt embarrassed. "I just wanted her to stop from hurting Nabiki-chan but I let Naomi get me mad."

"Akane, we'll talk about..." Kasumi began but trailed off as Ranma placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I certainly don't blame Akane-chan," Naomi's mother declared. "My Rei-chan would have stuck up for her imouto too. _If_ Rei had been here with us instead of the movies with her friends, this likely wouldn't have happened." She then bowed her head and stated, "Saotome-sensei, please be assured that this won't be repeated. Naomi will be severely punished when she gets home... In fact, I think I won't wait that long."

Nabiki's eyes went wide. "Iie! Minna, it ain't Naomi-chan's fault. It's... It's my fault!"

"NANI?" the adults questioned.

"Well... I must've been bugging sempai." Akane sighed and slapped her forehead in frustration.

"Na-chan, let's go get you changed to go home."

# # # # #

Akane dressed in her gi paused in her stretching exercises as the dojo door opened later that afternoon before supper. She was a little surprised to see her petite pigtailed sister come through it wearing a rumpled and faded looking gi tied with a white belt. She recognized the gi as one of hers from when she was in kindergarten. Moreover, the fact that Na-chan had been crying was obvious because her cheeks were tear-streaked and her little nose was red. She sniffled a bit and wiped her nose with a back of her hand as she inched inside the dojo.

Ranma came in looking determined. "Crying isn't going to get you out of this, Nabiki," he lectured his daughter as he closed the door to the dojo. "Both of my musume are going to learn how to handle themselves."

"But Daadee...!" Nabiki wailed.

"No buts!" Ranma thundered and the eight year old bowed her head.

'Come on, Na-chan... Iie! Why not? 'Cause it's baka and Naomi-sempai got hurt! Akane-oneechan too!'

"Na-chan, go ask Akane to show you how to start stretching." The pigtailed child shook her head.

'Now is not the time to get a backbone, Na-chan!' Nabiki Tendo said in alarm. 'It's wrong?' was the younger voice's retort.

"Nabiki Saotome, I won't ask again."

'Listen to him!'

"I don't wanna learn the stupid Art!"

Much to Ranma's credit, he didn't explode. Instead, he bent down and asked, "You want to be Naomi and Rei's friend, ne?" Nabiki nodded. "Well then, you're going to have to practice with Akane and me, and you're going to have to learn _The Art_. Naomi only likes people who know it."

'Bullshit!' Nabiki Tendo commented.

"Oh..." was Na-chan's response, "Honto?" Ranma nodded. It made sense. "Hai..." she agreed after several seconds of thought, "But I still don't like it, Daddy."

# # # # #

"Kasumi-chan, am I in time for supper?" Happosai asked as he came into the living room of the Saotome residence.

"Konbanwa. You are back, Master!" Soun Tendo greeted him in a subservient position. "How was your trip?"

"We expected you earlier, ne Tendo?" Genma Saotome chimed in similarly paying his respects to their master. Soun nodded.

"Soun, Genma, I found some very lovely big br..." Happosai started before remembering that Akane and likely Nabiki were there. "Konbanwa Kasumi-chan, girls."

"Konbanwa Happosai-ojiisan," Kasumi greeted. "How was your journey?"

"Wonderful, I should have done it sooner!"

"I see you got lots of '_pretties_', ojii," Ranma commented dryly.

The ancient master regarded Ranma who was in female form. "Of course, I did, Ranma-chan." He placed the gunnysack with its precious contents carefully in a corner. "So what's for eating, minna? I'm starved!" He was about to settle himself at the table when a low moan stopped him. Moving around the low table, he found little Nabiki stretched out on the floor on her stomach.

"My goodness. What happened to Na-chan?" Happosai asked. "And why is she wearing a gi?" The introverted child had never shown an interest in _The Art_, unlike her sister.

"Ranma has decided that Nabiki needs to be instructed in _The Art_." Genma and Soun shifted slightly, not wanting to draw Kasumi's wrath in their direction.

"I hurt all over!" Nabiki complained. "Ojii-sama, Otou-san is being REALLY mean."

"Ranma, what did you do to my poor kawaii little Na-chan?"

"I just worked her as hard as any new student, Sensei."

"Twice that," Akane still wearing her gi quipped. "It was kinda fun watching though, Daddy." She giggled then but immediately regretted it as her mother focused her glare on her.

"You're still not too old to be spanked, young lady!" Kasumi snapped while giving her nine year old daughter a repressive look. Akane cringed. Even her father wasn't stupid enough to cross Kasumi when she was riled. The mother of two girls was having a difficult time accepting the situation but she was unwilling to argue openly with her husband about it, especially in front of the children. In any event, she was certainly not going to stand for Akane goading her little sister.

"Poor Na-chan..." Happosai soothed. "Ne, what if I taught you _The Art_ instead?"

"Honto?" Nabiki asked. She sat up suddenly making a remarkable recovery.

"Told you she was faking, Daddy," Akane pointed out to her father.

"Bed, Akane, now," Kasumi ordered.

"I'm not done yet, Da..."

"Bed," was all that Ranma said. Annoyed, Akane got up and left the room. Kasumi gave Ranma a long look but didn't say anything. "I'm not going to let you teach Nabiki-chan, Happosai."

"I'm the founding Master of the _Anything Goes School of Martial Arts_. I can take on any student I want. Besides, Na-chan wants me to, ne?"

"Hai!" Nabiki squeaked, following the direction of her teenaged counterpart.

"What a wonderful idea, Master," Genma commented to Happosai.

"Hai, Tendo, a true Grandmaster of The Art..." Soun seconded before bursting into tears.

"Excellent... Since we are all in agreement... Na-chan, you better eat up and then get off to bed."

"Why Ojii-sama?" the little girl asked a bit confused.

"We start training early tomorrow."

"Nani? How early?" Nabiki questioned, eyes growing slightly wider.

"Oh... about 5 AM." Both Nabikis wailed. Ranma just sat silently. The world was being horribly unfair to them.

# # # # #

Akane Saotome crept down the hallway in her pajamas toward her sister's room. She paused near her parents' bedroom door to listen wondering what they were arguing about. She could hear them inside but couldn't make out what they were saying. The fourth-grader didn't waste much time on the matter.

She continued quietly down the hallway to Nabiki's bedroom door. Carefully, she opened it and slipped into the room, which was lit only by a small nightlight and the moonlight outside the window. Padding in her bare feet over to her little sister's bed, she carefully raised the sheets and slipped under them.

Nabiki hair down, wearing her bunny pajamas, and cuddling a stuffed Miko-chan animal cracked an eyelid open and asked sleepily, "Hmmm..."

"Shhh..." Akane cautioned, "Na-chan, it's just me."

"Na...?" the child groggily asked.

"I wanna sleep in your room tonight." Her sister rolled to her side, yawned, and started to fall back to sleep. "Don't be mad at me, Na-chan, please. I wish I could teach you _The Art_." Nabiki mumbled something and then fell silent. Akane snuggled closer and hugged the younger girl. "I'm YOUR onee."

"Bestest," was Na-chan's final response before falling dead asleep.

_End of Chapter 6_

Coming next in _**Chapter 7 - The New Trainee**_

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	7. Chapter 7 The New Trainee

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "_Innocence of Mine_" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com domain. Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Chapter 7 - The New Trainee**

**U**nseen Kaji followed the Saotome Family home deep in thought. It bothered him that his little business partner was being harassed. Some harassment was good and desirable, but this last incident pushed the envelope too far. Another thing that bothered the demon was that he had overlooked one crucial point about Nerima - the number of expert martial artists and other types of fighters was extremely high compared to other places in Japan.

Nabiki Tendo had pointed out said concern. Kaji was concerned because he wanted her to learn; he did not want her hurt. Hurting her physically would not have the desired effect. Besides, if he had simply wanted the mercenary teen hurt, he knew several demons who would have been more than accommodating.

After some thought, Kaji decided that perhaps Ranma should start training his youngest daughter. Certainly, some good hard, yet tempered, martial arts training would do Nabiki good... both of them. After toying with this thought, the demonic arbiter was satisfied with it and he set about making the necessary changes.

# # # # #

Sunday began badly for Nabiki Saotome. She was awakened by an unceremonious dunk (bunny pajamas and all) into the icy waters of the koi pond in the backyard thanks to Happosai. Akane tried, but failed to, feel sympathy for her younger sister. She had done her best to rouse Nabiki before her sister's five o'clock appointment to begin her martial arts training.

Things went downhill for the little pigtailed girl from there. No amount of pleading, crying, or cuteness could garner Nabiki any better treatment from Happosai. Nevertheless, the grandmaster conceded that allowing his new student to catch a cold would be suicide. Akane pointed out to him that if Nabiki got sick, Kasumi would be out for blood. To that end, Happosai agreed that he'd let Nabiki run 100 times around the inside of the dojo instead of outside in the chilly air.

Much to Akane's annoyance, the old panty-thief sent her away to continue her own training with her father. He pointed out that she was Ranma's student and not his. By breakfast time, Nabiki had given up wasting any more of what little energy she had left trying to get some leniency out of her "_sensei_" (as Happosai insisted on being called).

# # # # #

"Ne, Na-chan, how did training go?" Ranma asked his youngest daughter as the Saotome's sat down to breakfast. She gave him a death glare that was more reminiscent of the normally enraged Akane Tendo.

"Fine, Otou-san," Nabiki answered before shifting about so she had her back to him. Ranma flinched and then flinched again when he observed his wife give him the same look; now there was something truly unnerving.

Kasumi having decided that she would not win the battle over training in the dojo decided to fight on her home turf, i.e. the kitchen. Happosai suddenly found himself politely but firmly excluded from the family meal. After all, it was only for family and Happosai was certain not family. The Saotome matriarch, however, had been kind enough to make him something and set him up in the kitchen. Soun was even less fortunate since as family, he was required to attend breakfast.

The middle-aged Tendo man was near tears as he ate the breakfast that Kasumi had insisted that Akane prepare for him. Soun only hoped he'd live long enough to make it to Dr. Tofu's clinic for treatment.

Akane was, for the moment, safe. The nine year old knew which way the wind was blowing and had wisely followed her mother's directions to the letter without complaint. In fact, the experience wasn't as horrible as she thought. It was normally Nabiki who "_helped_" Mom in the kitchen. What did irk Akane was the fact that Nabiki was being treated as if she'd won a great honor.

Nabiki Saotome for her part was grumpy and not in the mood to talk with anybody including Nabiki Tendo. That was fine because she found herself almost as drained as her young host.

'I know this was tough, Na-chan. Kami-sama knows that I didn't think it would be this bad...' the teen tried to explain to the grumpy youngster, 'But this is good, ne? I mean you want to be friends with Naomi-chan and this is a good way to do it.' Inside her mind, Na-chan snuggled into Nabiki's lap and closed her eyes. 'I'm going to sleep now, Onee-chan. Ja,' the eight year old murmured and promptly did so. 'Iie! Hey wait!' There was a short pause and then, 'Ow! Crap that hurt!' The sleeping form of her host had slumped forward and struck the table before her soundly.

"Na-chan, are you..." Ranma began. Nabiki Tendo, alarmed that she would need to move the small body on her own while its normal owner dozed, flinched away. Ranma looked stunned.

"Oh my poor baby," Kasumi soothed while starting to gather the child into her arms. Nabiki Tendo did not want to be cuddled. She didn't need that crutch.

Jerkily, she stood up and said in a stern tone, "Let's get this over with." She marched unsteadily off to find Happosai. 'I'll get this kid into martial arts even if it kills me! Kami-sama, I sound like Daddy.'

The teenage Tendo knew some martial arts; all the Tendo Family did. She had barely managed a blue belt (Yonkyu rank) by age twelve, a feat Akane had accomplished by age nine. Their mother's untimely death caused Nabiki to let her practice of _The Art_ slide after that, even though it was obvious to any observer that Akane was by far the most skilled of the three Tendo sisters. 'Akane wears a brown belt (Nikkyu rank) here,' Nabiki had noticed feeling some pride. In this reality, Akane was apparently even more skilled due to Ranma's instruction. 'She's not so mad at everybody all the time either.' Nabiki knew that Happosai was not one to coddle anybody when it came to The Art and at that moment, Nabiki thought that Na-chan needed some UN-coddling.

# # # # #

Lunchtime only found the three Saotome females present - the males had disappeared. Ranma had gone to Ukyo's for some okonomiyaki, i.e. give his wife some space. Happosai had dragged Genma and Soun off somewhere. This left Nabiki, Akane, and Kasumi to eat lunch by themselves.

"Do you have any homework?" Kasumi asked her children as they ate lunch mostly in silence.

"I'm done mine, Mommy," Nabiki announced. 'Ne Onee-chan? Hai!' Na-chan had woken up from her nap feeling much better. 'Now, are you going to be silly about this?' Nabiki asked the little girl sternly. '**OUR** onee-chan is very proud of us.' The little girl couldn't argue that point. She'd seen Akane encouraging her throughout that morning's seemingly endless training session. Happosai was becoming increasingly impatient with her lack of skill. Both Nabikis wished he'd just give up. Na-chan was hoping she'd be allowed to give up martial arts completely. She wanted to be like her mother. On the other hand, her older counterpart was just hoping to go back under Ranma's instruction whom she was sure would have more patience.

'I think this is my fault, Na-chan,' Nabiki Tendo remarked to her host. 'Nani? Well, I think I'm being punished for being pretty mean to Ra... Daddy. But I wasn't mean! I don't mean you, Na-chan. I mean me. Oh...'

"Akane?" Kasumi asked.

"Hmmm?" Akane asked, her mind being pulled away from a review of that morning's training.

"Do you have any homework left to do?"

"Iie, Mommy, it's done!" the nine year old answered promptly, mentally crossing her fingers. 'I'll do it tonight after supper.' She was not going to miss any chance to help Happosai... or learn from him if it came to that. Even Ranma conceded the ancient master was the best martial artist he'd ever seen.

# # # # #

That evening, Ranma walked down the hall toward his own bedroom. First, he looked into his youngest daughter's room but found it empty. Puzzled, next he poked his head into Akane's room. The nine year old was sitting at her desk, tongue firmly stuck in a corner of her mouth, her long hair hanging over the back of the chair, pencil in hand. She was dressed for bed but didn't look as if she would be headed there anytime soon.

"Akane-chan," Ranma said coming over to his daughter, "What are you doing?"

Akane glanced up and then turned back to the page before her. "Homework, Daddy."

Ranma frowned. "Ne, you have that much homework?"

"I just forgot it," Akane fibbed before scribbling out an answer.

"You know, Akane, you're supposed to have it done BEFORE you train," Ranma chastised gently. He knew he had never been a scholar but the gender-changing martial artist wanted both of his children to be more book smart than he was. "Where's your imouto?" Akane shrugged. "Well, don't stay up much longer, Musume. School comes early tomorrow."

"I won't, Daddy," Akane mumbled without looking up. Ranma, grinning slightly, bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek and a hug before leaving the room. Still puzzled, he went into his own bedroom and found Kasumi tucking a sleeping, and lightly snoring, Nabiki into their bed.

"Na-chan's staying with me tonight, Ranma," Kasumi commented before he could.

"Kasumi-chan," Ranma began gently, "Coddling her isn't helping. Look at her grades, how her friends treat her..." His wife's lips thinned. "She needs this." The mother of two said nothing. She just stalked past him and headed down the hall. Ranma watched as she froze outside of their eldest daughter's room.

'Kuso!' Ranma thought as a storm cloud flashed across Kasumi's face. He watched with some trepidation as his wife entered Akane's room. Moments later, there was an explosion of noise that made Ranma jump slightly. The pigtailed man ran forward and into his eldest daughter's room to find Kasumi scolding her.

"Bu Oka..." Akane was trying to mouth in explanation but wasn't having any luck.

"**You fibbed to me, young lady!**" Kasumi thundered. "No training until your homework is done and you have to show me your homework first!"

"That ain't fair, Mommy!" Akane hissed boldly but shrank as Kasumi's eyes flashed.

"She just forgot, Kas..." Ranma interceded.

Kasumi turned and commanded Ranma, "You put her to bed." Turning back to Akane, she continued, "When I come back upstairs, Akane Saotome, you had better be asleep... Or you'll be one sorry little girl." With that, her mother scooped up Akane's textbooks and marched from the room.

# # # # #

Later, Ranma found his wife in the kitchen tenderizing meat with a wooden mallet. "'Sumi-chan... I know this is hard for you." Kasumi's hammering increased. "'Sumi-chan, don't worry. Happosai will get bored. The old coot doesn't have the patience for unranked students. He'll hand Nabiki back over to me in a couple of days at most I promise."

Kasumi stopped in her pounding to ask in a deceptively calm tone, "You approve of his abuse then, Ranma-KUN?"

He felt his temper rising. "Kasumi, do you honestly... How could..." He couldn't find the words; it was as if his wife had kicked him in the stomach.

"Anything for '_The Art_'. Just like my father," she almost sneered, tossing the wooden mallet on the counter and turning to glare at him fully.

Ranma crossed the room and caught Kasumi's hand in his own. "'Sumi-chan, I love our children. I would never let anything happen to them. But... let's face it... coddling Nabiki hasn't done any good."

"Happosai..."

"Will, get, bored. He'll hand Nabiki back to me to train and I give you my parole that I will be as gentle as possible." His normally demure wife didn't appear the least bit mollified. "Listen, 'Sumi-chan, Happosai is only worried about one person's wrath in this house, and that's yours. He won't hurt Na-chan."

"Hmmm... I admit he does act differently when he's around kids," Kasumi conceded. "Akane..." She trailed off as her husband held up his hand.

Disapproval was washing over Kasumi in waves so large that it was palpable. "I have an idea, Kasumi," Ranma declared after a moment.

"Nani?"

"An exchange of students." The woman didn't respond but grunted and pulled her hands out of his so she could fold her arms over her chest. "While Happosai has Nabiki as his student, you can take on Akane as _your_ student."

"Oh my... I have no '_art_'," she offered.

Ranma's eyes widened. "When you can put the fear of the Kami into the Grandmaster of the _Anything Goes School of Martial Arts_?" He was happy to see a smile play across her lips. "Besides, 'Sumi-chan, I think a couple of days not being able train in the dojo will be a nice reminder to Akane not to lie." Also, it might keep his daughter from becoming a tomboy.

# # # # #

Monday was not a happy day for either of the Saotome children. Once again, Nabiki had been tossed into the koi pond by Happosai after failing to wake up in time for morning training. Akane, on the other hand, found out about her parents' plan to "_exchange students_", i.e. no martial arts training for a while.

While little Nabiki was yet again trying to wring some compassion out of Happosai, the nine year old future heir to the Saotome Dojo was putting up her own desperate and defiant struggle. Akane protested so much that Ranma threatened a spanking. This pronouncement shocked both Akane and Kasumi. So much so, that tomboyish girl meekly set about helping her mother without further complaint. Kasumi was only startled because her husband rarely punished the girls, instead choosing to leave their disciplining to his wife.

This was not to say that Ranma tolerated bad behavior. He just tended to exercise it out of Akane. It was a non-issue for Nabiki. Nabiki was so well-behaved that Ranma had lamented on several occasions that his youngest child was a complete milquetoast.

The threat worked. Akane capitulated. She tied her hair back in a ponytail and set to work helping make breakfast as her mother instructed.

Both children were late for school that day. Akane was late because Nabiki (complaining about her stiff body) simply refused to move faster than a snail's pace. "Hurry up!" Akane insisted yet again, although with less vigor than the previous times. She'd all but given up hope on getting to school on time. The eight year old beside her walked head down, feet shuffling, mouth occasionally going wide in a yawn. "Ne, Na-chan, don't you like doing martial arts? I think it's the coolest." NOT being allowed to train with her father that morning was distressing.

"Ojii-sama is REALLY mean," the second-grader pouted, her pigtails drooping.

"So? Do you or don't you?"

'I want to sleep,' Nabiki Saotome whined to her invisible older self.

'So do I,' Nabiki Tendo agreed with a yawn. 'I wish we could curl up in Mommy's bed.' Waking up next to Kasumi had been nice. 'I think Onee-chan is talking to us.'

"Nani?" Na-chan asked her older sister.

"Are you okay, Na-chan?" Akane asked in concern. "Maybe I should take you back home."

"Hai... I'm..." Nabiki noised then yawned. Both children walked on in silence for a few moments. "I guess it's okay, Onee-chan."

Sometime later found Nabiki Saotome dozing quietly in the corridor outside Classroom 2-2 with a sign around her neck reading, "I was tardy". When the teacher came out to get Nabiki before the start of the next lesson, she found the petite girl sound asleep. This was such an aberration that she took the still groggy Nabiki down to the Infirmary.

"Hi," Na-chan managed to mumble out as she passed her sister. She was standing in the corridor outside her classroom wearing a similar sign around her neck.

"Are you okay, Imouto?" Akane asked worriedly.

"She's fine, Saotome-chan," Nabiki's teacher remarked and gave Akane a stern look when the fourth-grader started following them.

# # # # #

The last fuzzy memory that Nabiki Saotome had was of being tucked into one of the beds in the school infirmary by the school nurse. The youngster awoke with a start feeling refreshed. She puzzled at first about where she was. She looked around and recognized her room. Shafts of late afternoon sunlight washed in through her window making the pinks and whites of her room glow.

The youngster searched inside her mind for her older self. She found the teenaged Nabiki peacefully sleeping in an open meadow. It was odd in a way. Rubbing her eyes, she got out of bed finding herself dressed in her bunny pajamas.

Yawning, she padded out of the bedroom and down the hallway to the bathroom. It was while she was midway through relieving herself that Nabiki Tendo woke up.

'Nani? Where are we? This isn't school,' Nabiki asked Na-chan sluggishly.

'Home,' Na-chan replied.

After washing her hands, the little girl (and her passenger) padded down the hallway and down the stairs. The first floor was quiet. She continued further down the hallway until she reached the living area. There she found her mother sitting in a chair sipping tea quietly reading a book.

"Konbanwa Na-chan," Kasumi said when she looked up and saw her daughter standing there. She held out an arm and Nabiki came over and snuggled onto her lap. "Feeling better?"

"Hai!" Nabiki chirped. "Mommy, how did I get here?"

"Happosai-ojiisan brought you home," Kasumi answered. Both Nabikis blinked. "He feels bad about making you so tired, Musume." The teen Nabiki snorted.

'More like he's scared of Mommy. Why? Mommy ain't scary. 'Cause he was naughty. Oh...'

As if the thought of Happosai was a summons, the old man appeared looking warily at the mother of two. "How are you feeling tonight, Na-chan?"

"Sugoi!" 'Ask him about the present.' "Ojii-sama, I got a sugoi score on my math test." When Happosai expressed interest, Nabiki ran off to get her math paper to show him. Moments later, Happosai studied her test and then smiled and patted Nabiki on the head.

"Very good, Na-chan. Now if you'd put that same effort into training..."

"It's too hard, Ojii... Sensei," Na-chan pouted.

"No, it's not. You did well on that test. You can do well in training. Just give it a chance. This too shall pass. Kay sera sera..."

"Happosai-ojiisan," Kasumi interrupted, "My musume is not used to martial arts training."

"I see..." the old man started but trailed off when he remembered that he was talking to Kasumi. He walked around the little girl while nodding and grasping his chin as if he were inspecting her. Finally, he appeared to make a decision. "Go and change, Nabiki-chan. I suppose we'll need to get you into shape first."

# # # # #

When Akane got home from school, she was sent upstairs to change so she could help her mother with the evening meal. The girl was thrilled when her mother assigned her the task of preparing part of both Happosai and Soun's meals. 'Just a little bit... I'll be done!' Akane thought as she chopped tomatoes. She had her long hair tied back in a ponytail (like Kasumi taught her) to keep it out of her way. Akane tried to ignore the cute pink apron with playful puppies on it that she was required to wear. It was something more akin to Nabiki's tastes than her own. Not that she would want to wear boy clothes. Boys were icky.

Akane hurried as much as she could since she wanted to go watch Nabiki practice. She also wanted to tell Nabiki the news about Naomi. Apparently, the bully had been sent to live with an aunt in the country. Rei, however, didn't seem to mind not having her kid sister around. This bothered Akane somewhat. Anytime she tried to picture not having Nabiki around made her antsy.

To the nine year old, the younger girl was not only a playmate but also an unquestioning supporter. Nabiki was childish and meek but she always came to comfort her when Akane was feeling down or after being punished. It didn't matter what Akane had done, her sister was always willing to hug her and listen to vent. She promised always to be there for her little sister in return.

Finally done, Akane took off her apron, pulled her hair out of its ponytail, and asked, "Okaa-san."

"Hmmm?"

"Why doesn't Na-chan get into trouble?"

Kasumi blinked. "Nani?"

"Well," Akane began before pausing for a moment, "I mean she puts up a stink about having to train but if I put up a stink..." The nine year old trailed off at her mother's disapproving look.

"First, Saotome-chan," Kasumi explained in a wintry voice, "If your father was teaching Nabiki, I might not have as much of a problem."

"But Happosai-ojiisama is the _Grandmaster!_ It's an honor..."

"So I should start tossing you into ice cold ponds then, ne Akane?"

"I could take it." Akane remarked confidently. Kasumi cocked an eyebrow and then started removing her apron. "Where are you going?" Akane asked. Her mother didn't answer. Instead, Kasumi neatly folded her apron. "Mommy?"

"WE'RE going to the pond," the woman remarked nonchalantly, as if they were headed to the store.

"Hey!" the child protested. "Okaa-san, I was only kidding!" Much to her surprise, Kasumi picked her up, hefted her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and started for the door. "Iie! Gomen nasai!"

"Nani? Gomen for what?" Kasumi asked puzzled while easily carrying her nine year old daughter. Akane made a wild grab for the doorjamb and grinned as she managed to nab it.

"Okay, so nobody would like being dunked in really cold water... Nabiki shouldn't make such a big deal about it. It's just a part of training."

"So is this," Kasumi answered matter-of-factly.

"Nani? Is what?" Akane squirmed around so she could see over Kasumi's other shoulder and saw her father standing in the hallway; he had an amused look on his face. "Going somewhere, ne Akane-chan?"

"Da-ddy, Mommy's gonna toss me into the pond!" his eldest complained.

Much to her disgust, he simply replied, "Need a hand, 'Sumi-chan?"

"Daa-dee!" the girl complained.

"I don't think so, Ran-chan," Kasumi said and deftly detached her daughter's grip from the doorframe. "Arigato."

"I get it!" the eldest Saotome child declared desperately. "Ne, what about supper? We aren't done with it yet and I wanna see if Na-chan is okay." Much to her relief, Kasumi righted her onto her feet. "Daddy, why does Na-chan get to train with Happosai-sensei?"

"HE decided to do it, Akane... It won't last."

"Why?"

"Na-chan is too new a beginner," Ranma explained. "He doesn't have the patience for unranked students." 'Either that or he'll spy a new set of panties.' He walked up and tickled her tummy causing the child to giggle. "Even you, with your brown belt, would bore him silly soon enough, Musume."

"Let's go finish, minna," Kasumi suggested. The nine year old nodded in agreement happy to have escaped a chilly fate.

# # # # #

'Ne? Nani? Ask Happosai about our present.'

"Sensei?" Nabiki asked looking for any excuse to pause. She stopped the movement she was doing which caused the ancient master to scowl.

"Nani? You aren't getting out of training yet," Happosai declared with a growl. 'Even those two lazy fathers were never this bad!'

"Didn't you bring me anything back?"

"Nani? Like what?"

Before Na-chan could reply, Nabiki whispered, '**The mirror!** Nani?' The teenager sighed. 'Just ask him about the mirror, Na-chan.'

"Are you okay, Na-chan?" Happosai asked with a narrowed eyed stare. He thought he sensed another presence for a moment but disregarded it.

"Hai!" the eight year old answered, "Ne, did you bring back a mirror?" Happosai's eyes narrowed even more. "You _said_ I could have a present for getting a good math score." She hoped her older self was telling the truth about that.

"Well, not the mirror," the old lingerie thief replied.

"Why not?" Na-chan answered stoutly. ''Nee-chan, you'll get us in trouble! I won't! Go on, tell him... But...'

"Nabiki Saotome?" Happosai questioned, "Have you been snooping in my room?" The little girl shook her head vigorously. "So how do you know about the mirror?"

"Umm... _Somebody_ told me."

"Who?" Nabiki shrugged. At least, she didn't fib. "You wouldn't want that mirror. It's old and not very shiny at all. I'm sure I can find you some..."

"I still want it, Ojii-sama!" Na-chan exclaimed, "It's 'portant!" At least, that what her older self insisted. She didn't understand why nor remember anything about any old mirror.

"I said IIE, Nabiki." There was a flash of that presence again. The old man quickly looked around the dojo and saw nothing unusual. He felt another more familiar presence and smiled. "Now let's get back to our training, student."

"Hai Happosai-sensei."

Outside, Akane, who had come to call Happosai and her little sister to supper, stepped away from the door to the dojo and frowned. If Happosai didn't want to give her sister some mirror, but Nabiki wanted it... 'It has to be magical!' That seemed like a logical conclusion. Otherwise, he normally caved in to her sister. 'I wonder what it does?' After a thought, Akane couldn't think of anything that would be of importance to Nabiki but her curiosity was piqued. Turning, she decided that hunting down the mirror would be easy and she'd likely not get a better opportunity.

_End of Chapter 7_

Coming next in _**Chapter 8 - Make Me What I Am**_

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	8. Chapter 8 Make Me What I Am

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "_Innocence of Mine_" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com domain. Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Chapter 8 - Make Me What I Am**

**K**asumi Saotome padded towards the dojo wearing a small frown on her face. She had sent Akane out to retrieve Happosai and Nabiki. That had been several minutes ago. Now she was headed to the dojo to lasso the three tardy martial artists. Upon reaching the dojo, she was puzzled to find only the old panty thief and her youngest daughter inside. "Ne, have you seen Akane?"

"Iie," Nabiki replied. "Why Mommy?"

"I sent her out to get you two for supper. I thought she'd come here."

"Oh happy day..." Happosai remarked. "Where should I sit, Kasumi-chan?"

"At the table, of course, Happosai-ojiisan. I had my '_student_' prepare your meal."

'Lucky!' Na-chan thought.

"Student?" the old man questioned.

"Hai. Akane," Kasumi answered with a grin. "Can you excuse us, Ojii-san? I'd like to talk with Nabiki _privately_." Head drooping, Happosai shuffled from the dojo wondering if he would be best advised to go on a long journey.

'Onee-chan, what's wrong with Ojii-sama? Dunno...' was the best answer for her little friend. At least, this younger version of her sister produced edible if not tasty entrées. She couldn't say that about her sixteen year old sister's disastrous concoctions.

Kasumi waited for Happosai to fully exit the area before she knelt down in front of her daughter. She had been meaning to do this for a while. Nabiki for her part was looking slightly worried. "How are you finding training, Nabiki?"

"It's okay I guess, Mommy... Onee-chan thinks I should do it though."

"Well, your onee is proud of you for doing it."

"Hai! Nabiki-oneechan too," Na-chan amended.

"Oh my," the mother considered. Remembering Dr. Tofu's comments about this girl guiding her daughter being a benevolent spirit, she broached the subject, "Is Nabiki-oneechan being nice to you, Musume? I remember you saying she thought you should be spanked."

'Ne?' Na-chan asked the older girl.

'Gomen, Na-chan. I still think you need one when you whine,' Nabiki offered.

Na-chan pouted and repeated to her mother, "She thinks I whine too much, Mommy." The eight year old scowled as her mother laughed softly then covered her mouth. "It ain't funny!"

"Well... Maybe your onee-chan has a point."

Nabiki pouted even more. 'It ain't funny!' the little girl complained to her older companion. Both however felt warmth spread through them as Kasumi hugged them close.

"Na-chan, did your onee-chan help you with math too?" Nabiki nodded. Satisfied with Dr. Tofu's assessment, Kasumi stood and declared, "Well come along then, _GIRLS_. Then let's go find Akane so we can go eat."

"Hai! I'm hungry!" 'Me too!'

# # # # #

Meanwhile, while her mother and sister were conversing in the dojo, Akane Saotome was sneaking into Happosai's room. She had a large handkerchief covering her head and tied under her cute button nose. Her long hair was tucked underneath. She had copied the style from what Happosai wore before one of his nocturnal forays around Nerima.

The eldest Saotome daughter tiptoed down the hall. She only paused to inch the sliding door open wide enough to allow her access. She knew her parents wouldn't like this but she had to discover why Nabiki was so anxious about a mirror. Sliding the door closed, Akane crept cross the room for a moment wondering where the old man would put a mirror. She frowned slightly. The only thing she noticed out of place was his gunnysack of pilfered lingerie.

The nine year old wasted some time by ignoring the obvious places. Instead, she searched for hidden spaces around the floorboard and walls before poking her head into the closet.

"Kami-sama, it can't be that easy," Akane muttered to herself.

"Akane?" called the voice of Kasumi from some distance away, "We found Nabiki! Come to supper, sweetheart!"

'Mommy! I better hurry!' Alarmed, Akane scampered over to the gunnysack and dug into the soft pile within. 'Why does Ojii-sama like this stuff so much?' Her father turned red when she asked him about it once. He told her to ask her mother. After some muttered curses, which would have caused her mouth to be washed out, the fourth-grader's hand contacted something hard.

Excitedly, she yanked it out. The girl found herself staring into an old and rather tarnished looking mirror. 'I don't see what's so special about this thing...' She squinted at the etching around the rim of the mirror. One section of text was worn and completely indecipherable.

'Maybe you rub it like Aladdin's lamp,' Akane thought and rubbed the mirror with her hand without effect. Frowning, she squinted at the writing she could make out puzzling over it for a few moments. 'An incantation?' Great-Grandma Cologne had told her of such things.

A sharp noise, much like a crack of thunder, made the little girl drop the mirror back into the pile. She picked it up again and held close while staring at the door and pondering. 'Kami-sama, I'm not cut out for this!' This was a no win situation. If she were caught, she'd have to explain why she was in Happosai's room without permission. The ancient master might sometimes be on her mother's bad list but violating his privacy wouldn't be tolerated. Her mother was sure to tell Happosai and her father. She was very sure that she didn't want either of them knowing she was going through the old man's private stash. Moreover, she was already on probation for her earlier mischief. So she couldn't plead for clemency.

'I'll just put this back... But what if Nabiki does get it? Even Ojii-sama can't resist her forever if Na-chan puts her mind to it.' Grownups tended to cave into her little sister eventually. 'Are her pigtails magic?' She never had that kind of luck getting her way. Maybe she ought to wear pigtails as Nabiki had suggested more than once. 'Iie...' Her friends at school would tease her for sure. 'What about this baka thing?' After another moment, the young girl came to a decision.

# # # # #

"Minna, gomen, but I don't know where Akane has gotten to," Kasumi announced to her family as she came into the living room. "Do you think she went..."

"I'm right here, Mommy," Akane's voice piped up from behind Kasumi. She spun around to see her daughter grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Where were you?" Kasumi asked dubiously, raising an eyebrow.

"Bathroom," Akane fibbed.

"Honto? All this time?"

Akane shrugged and sat down at the low table beside her sister. "Like father, like daughter." Further comment was cut short by Kasumi clearing her throat. "Ne, gomen nasai. When I got to the dojo, it was empty." The nine year old bowed to her mother before turning and asking her sister, "How was training, Na-chan?"

"O-tag," Nabiki answered around a mouthful of ramen.

"That reminds me... You should show Happosai your baton twirling, Nabiki-chan," their father interjected. "I think he'd like that."

"Indeed. And why would that be, Ranma?" Happosai asked. He had a suspicious look on his face.

"Oh... It's just that she's got a hidden weapons technique that I ain't figured out." The old man raised an eyebrow. "Mousse _claims_ he hasn't been training her in secret."

"Get that out of your heads for tonight, boys. Na-chan is going to be a little girl tonight," Kasumi declared. "I think a little playing, a bath, and then straight to bed."

"But I'm not tired, Mommy!" Na-chan whined.

Kasumi tilted her head, gave a little smile, and then relented. "All right... You did sleep most of the afternoon, Nabiki-chan." The eight year old nodded. "I'll allow you to stay up as late as Akane tonight."

"Honto?" Na-chan squeaked, eyes going wide. A half-hour extra was nothing to sneeze at and maybe if she was good, Mommy could make it permanent.

"Playing, that would be good," Happosai agreed. "I'm taking Soun and Genma out tonight for um... a little _training_ excursion." 'And a decent meal...' Both fathers groaned.

"Sugoi!" Akane exclaimed. 'I can show Na-chan the mirror and then get it back before Ojii-sama even notices.' The rest of supper passed pleasantly enough and Kasumi sent both her daughters off to play in their room for a little while before bath time.

"Come on, Imouto," Akane said while grabbing her sister's hand, "I've got something to show you!"

# # # # #

'Onee-chan's sure acting weird,' Nabiki Saotome commented to the teenager beside her in the sun-drenched expanse of the meadow. A pair of bunnies (Miko-chan and Niko-chan) were frolicking unnoticed in the distance.

'Hai! You're right,' Nabiki Tendo agreed as the duo watched Akane peek cautiously around her bedroom door as if she were worried about being watched before closing it. 'Akane's up to something.'

'Akane-oneechan said she gots a surprise.'

"Close your eyes, Na-chan," her sister insisted. Wanting to play along, the pigtailed little girl complied. "And NO peeking!" Giggling, she covered her closed eyes with both her hands.

"Hai!" 'Is it a surprise? I think so. Nani? What is it? I think it will be good. Our onee-chan is the bestest. HAI!'

"Okay," Akane announced, "You can open them now!"

Little Nabiki did so, lowering her hands and opening her eyes. She frowned slightly when she saw that Akane was standing in front of her holding her hands behind her back. "Whatcha got, Onee-chan?"

"THIS!" the nine year old replied and brandished the hidden object with a flourish. Both Nabikis stared.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Happosai-sensei," Akane said, "But I gotta give it back to him soon."

'Kami-sama! That's the mirror!' "Arigato! Can I see?" Na-chan asked, holding out her hand towards the mirror.

"You might break it," Akane remarked but moved around to stand beside her sister to hold the mirror up. "See?" The older girl was puzzled when her sister's jaw dropped open and she simply stared at the mirror. "Nani?"

'Pretty!' Na-chan declared to the older Nabiki. The reflection was that of her seventeen year old self. 'I'll look like you when I'm older, ne? Of course, silly, I already told you that. But you're super kawaii now.' Na-chan giggled. She then blinked in surprise. 'You know, Onee-chan? Hmm? You don't look as old as in the mirror. Honto? Hai.' Now that the little girl really thought about it, the invisible Nabiki looked about the same age as Naomi's older sister Rei, or a little older. Thirteen? The teen's curves were less pronounced and her hair seemed longer than when they first "_met_". It was certainly not the nearly grownup image that the mirror was showing them. Nabiki Tendo shrugged. She wrote it off to Na-chan's imagination.

"What's so funny?" Akane asked, staring intently at the mirror but not seeing anything unusual although there was something strange about her image that she couldn't quite place. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. The image was a bit fuzzy. 'Maybe the glass is dirty.' After all, it was old, even older than her parents were. She was glad she was here to protect Nabiki just in case it _was_ dangerous.

Before the nine year old could analyze the odd feeling, her little sister asked, "What's it say around the outside, Onee-chan?"

"Hmm?" Akane noised, looking around the rim. She frowned at the odd characters - most of it was either worn away or indecipherable.

A loud thud outside made both children start. Scampering to her bedroom door, Akane opened it and peered out. She saw her father standing there.

"I hope I didn't scare you, girls," Ranma called to his daughters. "Gomen, I dropped this box." He grinned. "So, whatcha up to?"

"Nothing, Daddy!" Akane replied. She hid the mirror behind her back and mentally crossed her fingers. Her father just grinned.

"Well, whatever it is, don't let your mom catch you," the pigtailed martial arts master commented as he hefted the box. He gave his daughters a wink then started walking down the hall again.

"Shu..." Akane breathed as she closed the door and leaned against it, "That was close."

"Nani?"

"I'm gonna put this back," Akane decided, 'Before Mommy catches me.' This thing was giving her the creeps. No way that she would let Nabiki play with it alone.

"Ne, ne, Akane-oneechan, what does it say?" Nabiki asked, eyes looking pleadingly up at her sister. "_Pleeeeeeease_?" The nine year old shook her head.

"I'm gotta put it back," Akane remarked.

"Pwease?" Nabiki asked. Her hands were placed together under her chin and tears misting her eyes. Akane struggled for a moment and then grinning, she moved back to sit on the bed.

"How do you do that, Na-chan?" she asked the little girl.

"Nani?"

"Nothing."

Nabiki stared with interest at the reflection of herself. She still looked much older. She hugged Akane then and felt very happy. "Onee-chan, you're the bestest."

"Arigato, Nabiki. I love you too." Akane smiled as the younger girl hugged her. 'I was being silly,' she decided as they sat looking at the mirror. 'It's just some old mirror Ojii-sama found.'

"What's it say, 'Nee-chan?"

Sighing, the nine year old frowned at the writing on the edge of the tarnished mirror. As far as she could tell, it wasn't in Hiragana, Katakana, nor Kanji. "It says... um... um..."

"Well?" Nabiki demanded when several seconds of silence had passed.

"Gomen," Akane admitted, "It's not written in anything I know, Imouto."

"Sure, it is," Nabiki Tendo chimed in, "See... This part here looks like English." Akane squinted to where the small finger was pointing. "Ne?"

"Oh yeah... You like looking at yourself or something?"

"It makes me look bigger," she giggled.

"Bigger, ne?" Akane stared down at her own reflection in the mirror. It wasn't a magnifying mirror like their mother used for makeup. "You watch too much anime, Nabiki."

"But it does!"

"Maybe a monkey..." She grinned as Nabiki scowled at her. "It doesn't show me being bigger. I look like me in it."

Nabiki whined. Akane would have refused but her sister was regarding her with large, pleading puppy-dog eyes. 'Kami-sama...' Akane sighed to herself, 'I risked my hide getting this thing... It seems okay... Might as well let her see it for a little bit... Maybe she'll quit asking what it says. And then, I can put it back before Ojii-sama finds out.'

"Onee-chan, what does it say?"

'Guess not.' "Imouto, do you want to look or know what it says?"

"Both!" Akane rolled her eyes. "Pwease?" Nabiki pleaded. Her eyes were wide and innocent.

'Oh, you're good!' Nabiki Tendo complimented as her sister handed over the mirror. The little girl beside her smiled. 'I should try that more often.'

"I do so look bigger," Na-chan insisted while carefully examining the mirror. She squinted at the writing around the edge. "Onee-chan, please read it for me."

"Come on, Nabiki. I told you I couldn't. Maybe we can ask Cologne-obaasama tomorrow," Akane grumbled hoping to placate her sister. "Now, hurry up and look. Then I need to get that back."

"Iie, I was just asking, NABIKI-oneechan," Na-chan remarked which made the older girl roll her eyes incredulously. "I was!"

"I thought I was your onee!"

"You are..."

'Nabiki-oneechan. Right.' "Here, give me that thing so I can read it." After the briefest of pauses, the petite eight year old handed the mirror back. Akane lifted it up, cleared her throat, and opened her mouth. Only silence emerged. 'I got to tell her something or I'll never hear the end of it.'

"Well?"

"Hold on, Nabiki. I'm thinking."

'Hmmm...' the teenaged noised while squinting at the mirror. 'It looks like English.' "'Nee-chan says it looks like English."

'It does?' "I know that!"

'Na-chan, let me handle this,' Nabiki Tendo suggested, 'We do want to know what it says, ne?' Na-chan shrugged. She didn't care one way or the other actually. It was important to her teenage counterpart so she allowed her to take over control.

"Um..." Akane began.

"Pra..." 'Iie.' "_Planto_..." the teen in the little girl's body nearly whispered. Akane was concentrating so hard she didn't hear Nabiki, but the voice seemed to sink in on a subconscious level.

"_Planto,_" Akane said after some moments. "Hai, that makes sense... I think and this other one is... Um... Um..."

"_Mihi..._" the pigtailed youngster muttered.

"Shush a second... Um..." Akane furrowed her brow. "_Mihi..._"

"_Q-Quis...?_" 'English is weird, ne?' The teenager nodded to the little girl. 'I think it's Latin though. Nani? Hush, I'm trying to follow this. I did a little bit of this for a contract.' Na-chan stuck her tongue out at her invisible partner and her sister - neither of whom noticed. "_Ego... su-sum._"

"I got it, Na-chan!" Akane suddenly exclaimed in delight.

"Honto? Sugoi, Onee-chan!"

"Hai! It says '_Planto mihi quis ego sum!_'"

# # # # #

"What are the girls doing up there?" Kasumi asked as her husband came into the kitchen.

"Not much... They're in Akane's room playing quietly... for a change, 'Sumi-chan." He smirked as Kasumi chuckled. "I wonder if we can keep them little forever."

"You don't want them to grow up, ne Ran-chan?" Kasumi asked, eyebrow cocked.

Ranma, rubbing the back of his neck, grinned. "Well... I'd let Nabiki grow up but Akane's too headstrong for her own good sometimes. Imagine what she'll be like as a teenager..."

"Well, if you're that worried, you start disciplining them."

"Not me!" Ranma balked at the notion.

"Why not? You're their father?"

"They're girls... Besides, Na-chan is so innocent that..."

"You don't know if Nabi..." The rest of Kasumi's sentence was cut short by an explosion of noise that rattled the house. The couple looked up towards the ceiling and then at each other.

"Ran-chan, was it calling for rain today?" she asked her husband.

Before he could reply, both adults heard a shout of, "RANMA! WHERE ARE YOU, YOU BAKA?"

# # # # #

'I didn't know Naomi-chan came over,' Nabiki Tendo mumbled to her younger counterpart. The duo were lying flat on their back, head throbbing, and a rather unpleasant feeling lower down that indicated they had wet themselves.

'That was a really big bang,' Na-chan replied. They both felt woozy. 'What's Onee-chan yelling?' The eight year old pushed herself up to one elbow in time to see Akane rush from the room yelling at the top of her lungs.

While little Nabiki was trying to gather her wits about her, Ranma and Kasumi had come to the bottom of the stairs just in time to see their eldest child descending them at breakneck speed.

"**THERE YOU ARE, YOU BAKA!**" little Akane yelled and with that launched herself at him. Ranma for his part gave her a distressed look but caught Akane in mid-flight. "**LEMME GO, PERVERT!**" she shrieked. She was enraged that Ranma was manhandling her in such a fashion that she drove her foot into his groin as hard as she could. Kasumi winced as her husband cringed. He was too surprised to maintain his grip on the wriggling child.

"Young lady..." Kasumi started but Akane had taken up a ready stance and was looking madder than ever. Her Ki was quite visible and pulsing a violently bright red.

"Akane-chan, what on Earth's the matter?" Ranma managed to ask through the pain.

"**RANMA NO BAKA!**" she howled red with anger. "This is the problem!" The longhaired girl smacked her flat prepubescent chest. "I know it was you who did this!"

"Musume, what..."

Akane's aura flared as her anger increased. Why Ranma wasn't even showing proper fear? "You made me into a little girl!"

"Akane!" Kasumi scolded. "Stop yelling, and tell us what's wrong."

"Kasumi, don't you see what this perverted jackass did to me?" Akane stomped closer and turned toward confused father of two. "**I want you to give me back my normal body! NOW!**"

Ranma and Kasumi glanced at each other and then towards Nabiki's voice coming from upstairs. "Why are you yelling, Onee-chan?"

The petite child had a worried and anxious look on her face. "What's the matter, Nabiki-chan?" The nine year old paused at that point and stared open-mouthed at the girl at the top of the stairs who looked around five years old.

"I had an accident, Mommy," Nabiki squeaked, turning crimson. She was fighting back tears. "My head hurts too."

"Akane, were you picking on Nabiki?" Kasumi and Ranma both demanded.

"I WAS NOT, YOU FRIGGING MORONS!" Akane yelled.

"Akane swore, Mommy!"

"I know, Nabiki-chan. She said something very naughty."

"Nabiki," Akane mouthed as recognition struck her. An image of her older sister that she hadn't seen (except in old photographs) since she was in preschool. Then turning back to Ranma and Kasumi, she ranted, "What the hell is going on here?"

"That's no way to talk, young lady," Ranma hissed sternly.

"Oh yeah? Listen you jerk..." She tried to pull out a mallet to clobber him but it wasn't there. 'Nani? Where...'

"Akane Saotome, don't you dare..."

"**NANI? WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?**"

"A-KA-NE!" the pigtailed martial artist thundered.

"AAAA! It's my baka father and that baka panda then!" Akane shrieked. She turned and tore off upstairs. "They made me this way so I'll have to get married! I'll feed them their balls as soon as I find the mushrooms!"

"I'll go get her," Ranma offered, a dark look coming onto his face. "Kasumi-chan, please look after Na-chan." With that, the pigtailed martial artist fled upstairs chasing his maniacal daughter.

Nabiki by this time had come downstairs looking very worried and still blushing. Kasumi knelt down in front of her. Lifting the youngster up, she started towards the furo. "Ne, Nabiki-chan, we'll get you changed. Can you tell Mommy what happened?"

"Hai," Na-chan remarked.

'Fib!' Nabiki Tendo pleaded.

'Will not! You got me into enough trouble,' Na-chan commented and then to her mother stated, "We were looking at a mirror in Akane's room, Mommy."

"Nani? What mirror, Musume?" Kasumi asked. She slid the door to the outer bath open and stepped inside. While putting Nabiki down, she continued, "You mean the one you have?"

"Iie... The present that Ojii-sama brought me."

"He did? When did he give it to you, Nabiki?"

'Uh oh...' Na-chan remarked to her older self, 'Mommy won't like this.'

'No kidding,' Nabiki Tendo sneered. As she explained what had led up to the latest weirdness, Kasumi undressed her daughter. The entire time her brow furrowed and she took on a disapproving look. The little pigtailed girl's confession was occasionally interrupted by shouting from Akane, or Ranma, or loud crashes, as Akane went in search of what in her mind could only be age-altering mushrooms.

When it was over, the eight year old stood nervously twisting her fingers and shifting from foot to foot. "Well, Nabiki," Kasumi began while standing, "First thing we do is get you into a warm bath and then right to bed!"

"**IIE! MOM-MY, YOU SAID I COULD STAY UP!**" Nabiki howled.

"Not tonight... Not after you were naughty by playing with something that didn't belong to you." She was starting to wonder if this preteen spirit inside her daughter was benevolent letting her child do that.

"But... but..." Nabiki's eyes filled with tears, "But I wanna..."

"Na-chan," Kasumi said, crouching down and giving her youngest a serious look, "Mommy is not happy with you."

"BUT WHYYYYY?" Na-chan whined. 'For Kami's sake, Na-chan!' Nabiki hissed, 'Just go take our bath! Iie! Why? 'Cause, we didn't do anything wrong!'

The mother took a deep breath and let it out. "You were naughty by playing with something..."

"But Mommy, you said we're supposed to share," Nabiki pointed out earnestly, "'N' I didn't get the mirror. Onee-chan did."

"I'm not discussing this with you, young lady. Please go take your bath."

"Am I going to bed early?"

"Definitely."

"**THAT AIN'T FAIR!**" the youngster screeched. Kasumi closed her eyes and started counting. 'Na-chan just go. We can stay up late tomorrow or something,' Nabiki Tendo pleaded. 'Iie, we didn't do nothing wrong.'

"Fair or not, Nabiki Saotome, you're going to take your bath and then go straight to bed."

"You're bein' mean, Mommy," the eight year old pouted.

"I'm sorry you feel that way but it's the way things are going to be." Nabiki only crossed her arms. 'I don't believe I'm going to have to say this,' Kasumi thought before adding sternly, "I'm going to count to three and if you're not in that furo, I'll have to spank you for not minding me."

'Quick!' Nabiki shouted, 'Let's go, Na-chan. This isn't something we can win.'

"One."

'It ain't fair, Onee-chan!' Na-chan complained, 'Miko-chan and Niko-chan wouldn't be so mean.'

'Yeah,' Nabiki agreed, 'But they aren't here and we are so MOVE!'

"Two."

'But Akane-oneechan got the mirror. Not us.'

'Do you want _our_ onee to get into more trouble, Na-chan?'

'Iie but...' The eight year old paused as her invisible friend gave out a gusty sigh. 'You said I shouldn't be a wimp.'

'It's completely different!'

"Three," Kasumi said and waited.

Nabiki Saotome looked up at her mother and with her bravest face stated firmly and clearly, "I didn't do nothing, Mommy."

Kasumi was momentarily at a loss. This was not typical behavior for Nabiki. As a last desperate attempt to find an explanation, she asked, "Is Nabiki-oneechan telling you it's not your fault?" The mother of two was startled when the girl gave her a withering look.

"Nabiki-oneechan says I should go take my bath, Mommy."

"And why aren't you listening to your '_onee_'?"

"Well..." Nabiki considered, tapping her bottom lip and then said, "See if we take our bath and go to bed early, then that says we did somethin' wrong and that would by fibbing 'cause I wasn't naughty. Fibbing is bad and I don't like to fib 'cause I wanna stay up so if I don't go to bed early, then I wouldn't be naughty and I can stay up."

Kasumi sighed and rubbed her forehead. It took her a few moments to sort through the logic. She realized she was experiencing something that had never happened before - normally shy Nabiki was being defiant. The fact that she was certain now that it was Nabiki's and not her ancestor's doing worried the mother of two a little.

'I'm going to put a stop to this right now!' Kasumi decided firmly while reaching out to pull her daughter closer. "**BATH! NOW!**" she snapped emphasizing each word with a smack to the youngster's bottom. The eight year old was too surprised even to cry. "**MARCH!**" she commanded. She landed a third swat that made Nabiki go up on her tiptoes. Head drooping, the little girl shuffled off into the inner bath before starting to cry. The mother of two might have been worried at this point. However, Nabiki was giving her the sort of look that Akane typically did when she thought the world was being exceptionally obstinate to her will.

'Find Akane!' Kasumi thought, 'Then me and Ranma are going to have a serious talk about him disciplining the girls once in a while.' If Nabiki was breaking out of her shell, Kasumi refused to play bad cop to his good cop all the time.

# # # # #

Ranma found his daughter upstairs tearing apart his father-in-law's bedroom. "Akane..."

The nine year old whirled about glaring at him. "Where are they?"

"Happosai and your two ojii-sans? They went out."

"Not those, baka, the mushrooms?"

"Sweetheart, what..." the gender-changing martial artist began but Akane cut him off.

"Don't be nice to me, pervert! Don't be nice to me just because you know I know you did this!"

'Mushrooms?' "I still don't know what you mean, Musume. Did what?" Ranma wondered. 'She's not possessed... Did she get into one of Cologne's potions?'

"**DON'T BE BAKA!**" Akane shouted. "I'll hunt them down, as soon as I take care of you!" Ranma stared in bewilderment trying to digest that statement, and then suddenly his eldest daughter rushed him. He neatly sidestepped her quite obvious attack making her fly into the hall and slammed into Kasumi who adeptly grabbed her by the ear.

"You come with me, Akane Saotome," Kasumi commanded. "You are taking a bath with your imouto. And then you and I are going to have a very long discussion about taking things that don't belong to you and respecting your elders."

"Don't be..."

"THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH!" Kasumi thundered at her eldest. "I've already spanked your imouto. The only choice you have, _young lady_, is do I spank you now or after your bath?"

"Ow! But Ka..." Akane started to complain as she was led down the hall by the towering figure of Kasumi. The intense scowl made her reconsider saying anything more. Ranma stood silently; he wasn't about to interfere with his wife.

'Na-chan?' Ranma mused, 'Kami-sama, Akane's really in for it if 'Sumi-chan spanked Nabiki!'

# # # # #

Happosai froze. His chopsticks were midway to his mouth. "Master?" Soun asked, a worried expression coming over his face. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure, boys," the old man answered while suspiciously looking about the room. 'What was that?' It felt as if reality itself had shifted. He put the ramen into his mouth. "This is much better than..."

"Akane will get better, Master," Soun interjected. He had tears running down his cheeks. "Her cooking is edible, if not very tasty." Happosai frowned. "Akane is young, Master, and will grow into her skill."

"Indeed. How... How old is Akane?" Happosai questioned.

Soun blinked. Genma did something remarkable and paused in his eating. "Why Akane is nine, Master. They grow up so fast. It seems like only yesterday that Kasumi-chan told us she was preg..."

"And Nabiki is eight, ne?" Happosai countered. Soun nodded.

"Hai, of course... Master, what is it?" Genma asked, nervously looking about once again.

"I don't know, Genma. It might not be anything. I must think on this." He would finish his meal and then head over to speak with Cologne. Soun and Genma exchanged worried looks and then they both went back to their meal, all the time nervously watching Happosai who was brooding ominously.

# # # # #

Nabiki kept some distance from her older sister when they were both in the furo. She was very worried by her sister's odd behavior. One moment Akane had been yelling; the next, the nine year old was awfully subdued.

The pigtailed little girl only protested mildly when she was put to bed at her normal bedtime without her usual story. Na-chan might have protested more but she didn't want a repeat of her earlier punishment.

'What's with Akane?' Nabiki Tendo asked her younger counterpart after they had been tucked into "their" bed, 'She's acting kinda funny. If Mommy spanked her too, she might... Hai but we don't know that happened. Maybe Mommy just scolded her. She's still really mad.'

'She sure is... Did that mirror do something bad?'

'I don't think so... unless...'

'Nani?' The teenager shrugged. Yawning, Nabiki snuggled under the covers, hugged her stuffed Pikachu next to her, and closed her eyes. "'Night, Onee-chan." The little girl mumbled to the older Nabiki.

# # # # #

Akane for her part didn't attempt to protest the fact of such an early bedtime. She just wanted the horrible nightmare to be over with. She convinced herself that it couldn't be real. 'Imagine, Ranma and Kasumi married and my onee a five year old! What a story I'll have for Kasumi and Nabiki in the morning! They'll never believe it!'

"Goodnight, Akane," Kasumi said as she left Akane's bedroom.

"Goodnight," Akane replied, still staring up at the dark ceiling. 'What happened?' she asked herself rhetorically. 'It can't be those baka mushrooms. Dad... Ranma looked like he didn't know what I was talking about. He's too baka to lie that good. Happosai? It has to be. What did that _old fart_ bring into the house?'

As Akane laid there in the darkness, she remembered what had happened while they were bathing.

Kasumi had lifted little Nabiki out of the water and wrapped a large towel about her. "You go find your daddy. He'll put you to bed. I want to have a talk with your onee."

"Hai," Na-chan replied softly and then paused for an instant, "Mommy?" When Kasumi gave her an expectant look, she asked, "Can I have a hug?"

"Hai," the woman answered softly and gave her youngest a large hug, "Now off to bed with you." As soon as little girl was out of the room, the normally demure and patient Kasumi's manner shifted radically.

"How dare you?" Kasumi lectured to her while Akane sat in the tub looking shamefaced. The girl's long hair was wrapped in a towel atop her head. "Akane Saotome, I am your mother!" The nine year old opened her mouth to object that she was her sister, but no sound came out. Her eyes were wide. She stared at the woman as if she had never seen her before. She felt like the child she appeared to be. Kasumi seemed so mature, so intimidating, in comparison. "You did something very wrong. Sneaking around stealing things is very dishonest!"

"Hai..."

"And then you start acting very naughty towards your otou-san, your imouto, and me!"

"Otou-san? Ranma ain't..." Akane trailed off at the mother's glare. "Gomen nasai, Onee... Okaa-san. I didn't mean to."

"'_I didn't mean to_' won't cover it, young lady. I've already punished your imouto for her part."

"Nabiki's just a little kid. She didn't do anything! It was Ranma who..."

'At least, she wants to protect her imouto.' Kasumi held back her smile of approval and continued, "She isn't as innocent as you think, Akane. And besides, Nabiki's going to bed at her normal time."

'Doesn't sound like much of a punishment,' Akane thought wryly.

"Nabiki was looking forward to staying up with you," the mother scolded. "And then for you to do something that dangerous as invoke a spell that you didn't know what it did...!" Kasumi's nostrils flared and Akane bowed her head to stare at bottom of the furo. "You are going to apologize to Happosai-ojiisan. You are going to apologize to your otou-san."

"Hai." Akane bowed her head.

"And you have been less than honest with me the past couple of days." The girl remained silent. "I won't stand for it, Akane. I don't care what you think are good reasons but I will not tolerate it. Do, you, understand?"

"Hai," came the soft reply. Akane's stomach was twisted into knots. She knew it was her sister but it really did feel like she was her mother.

The newly minted nine year old was pulled back to the present by the thought of her formerly older but now small sister. 'Poor kid! Did Mom-Kasumi really spank her? Nah!' She did feel bad for the kindergartener though, who seemed more vulnerable than Akane had ever remembered her. 'Happosai will pay for this. Nabiki isn't gonna stand being toyed with, and neither will I!'

# # # # #

"Strange... I felt a ripple of Ki as well." Cologne was saying to Happosai, as Shampoo hovered nearby. The younger Amazon warrior became worried about her small friends the instant she heard their names mentioned.

"Nabiki and Akane is okay, ne?" Shampoo asked.

"I think so, Shampoo-chan," Happosai assured the purple-haired teen. "It's just... I have this strange feeling as if my memories have been altered."

"Maybe use wrong _shampoo_ on head," Shampoo offered.

Happosai grinned at the unintended pun. "I think I'm making much ado out of nothing. I should go, Cologne. One thing though, I would like to ask if you know if Mousse is training Nabiki."

"Baka Mousse?" the busty young Amazon huffed.

"Ranma also asked that question, Happosai," Cologne commented. "Apparently the child can produce a baton from thin air."

"Indeed... She's never shown much interest in '_The Art_'. Teaching her is difficult as well." Shampoo considered. Perhaps, she could give some pointers to her savior's youngest daughter.

"Shampoo-chan, could you leave us?" the old woman asked. Her great-granddaughter frowned but dutifully left the room as instructed. "Happosai, do you think something is happening?"

"I don't know..." The panty thief rubbed his chin. "Perhaps, it's just the power spike. However, it might be Kaji."

"Who?"

"Er... Someone I would not want to cross... Well, I should go."

# # # # #

Ranma Saotome was heading from the bathroom back to his and Kasumi's bedroom when he spotted his youngest daughter in the hallway. "Na-chan, what are you doing out here? It's past your bedtime."

"Daddy, I don't feel good."

"Oh, come here," the martial artist told her softly then gently lifted his youngest into his powerful arms. "Ne, what's the matter?" Nabiki shrugged and only laid her head against his shoulder. Her father chuckled and hugged her. "Feel better?"

"A little." Ranma smiled.

"I don't think your mommy would like you to sleep in our bed tonight. You've been naughty, ne?" A sniffle was his only response. "Don't cry, Nabiki-chan. You don't want to wake your onee-chan up when I tuck you in with her, ne?"

"Hai," Nabiki agreed. In her mind, sleeping in Akane's bed would be just as good as her mother's at this point. The eight year old closed her eyes and allowed her worry that had awaken her to drain away as her father carried her down the hallway to Akane's room.

Her sister was sound asleep. She only stirred slightly as Ranma tucked the younger girl under the covers next to her. "Now you go to sleep, Musume." His only response was a small yawn before Nabiki turned onto her side. She snuggled Akane who hugged her almost instinctively. Smiling, the young man and father bent and gave his children a gentle kiss on the cheek before heading for his own bed.

'I'm impressed, Na-chan. I'm impressed...' Of course, Ranma didn't dare tell his wife that. At least... not right away.

_End of Chapter 8_

Coming next in _**Chapter 9 - Dream Walker, Reality Fighter**_

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	9. Chapter 9 Dream Walker, Reality Fighter

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "_Innocence of Mine_" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com domain. Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Chapter 9 - Dream Walker, Reality Fighter**

**K**asumi Saotome slowly opened her eyes. The soft gray predawn light was visible through a crack in the curtains of her bedroom. The twenty-nine year old mother of two girls glanced at the clock and found that it was nearly 6 AM. Reaching over, she switched the alarm off and got up noticing as she did so that Ranma was not in the bed. That wasn't that unusual; her husband was likely out in the dojo working out this time of the morning.

Thoughts of the dojo brought her mind to her youngest daughter and her recent tribulations. 'Is that _Nabiki-oneechan_ of hers really a blessing?' Sighing a little, she pushed away the errant thought about spirits and decided that she'd take the day as it came to her. At least, she took solace that Ranma was training Nabiki again, not Happosai.

The woman entered the living room on her way to prepare and set the table for breakfast only to find her husband there. He looked up at her entrance and put a finger to his lips before glancing down at the precious cargo he was holding - Nabiki snuggled against him, and very much asleep. Kasumi smiled at the sight.

"Ohayo, Ran-chan. I thought," Kasumi began softly as she came over to the pair, "That you'd both be training."

The pigtailed martial artist took on a sheepish look and scratched the back of his neck. "Heh... We were, 'Sumi-chan, but Nabiki went and asked me if I was gonna be as mean as ol' Happosai." He hugged the sleeping child and brushed a few stray hairs out of her face. "Then she gave me that sad puppy-dog face of hers and..."

"And?"

"Well," Ranma continued with a smirk, "I figure I've been taking the wrong approach. It ain't like she needs to be the heir or anything." Young Akane was coming along well in that regard. His grin expanded. "Besides, I figured if I tried to be like the old hentai, I'd be eating Akane's cooking for a long time."

"Ranma!" Kasumi scolded her husband. She quickly put her hand over her mouth. Luckily, Nabiki didn't stir.

# # # # #

Akane sneezed. That was what woke her up. The nine year old sat up and looked sleepily about her room. She made a mental note to put away some of her stuffed animals she'd left out. It almost looked like a child's room. She didn't need that idiot Ranma mocking her about it. Yawning, she pushed herself out of bed and promptly fell to the floor on her rump. 'What the...? Akane no baka.' She giggled and picked herself up. 'Kami-sama, what was I doing yesterday? That dream was really weird too.' Still bleary-eyed, Akane left her bedroom and padded down the hallway in her bare feet.

Stifling another large yawn, she wandered into the bathroom and closed the door. It took her a minute of reaching around in the dark to find the light switch. Grumbling, she shook her head stumbling a bit as she sat on the toilet, which seemed a bit higher than usual. "Ouchie!" Her butt felt a bit tender. "Kuso, I must've bruised it when I fell off the bed." It wasn't too much though. Because of her martial arts regiment, bruises and other minor scrapes tended to heal quickly. 'I just hope Ranma doesn't find out somehow or I'll never hear the end of it!'

"Great... What a way to start the day," she groused, especially after that strange dream. She remembered one nice part. 'Nabiki was a little kid!' she giggled then almost as suddenly stopped. 'And Kami-sama, Kasumi was scary! And...' Something was still off. 'Oh man, did Ukyo give me some bad okonomiyaki or something yesterday? I feel completely off-balance. Maybe I should go see Tofu-sensei before school. Maybe I have an ear infection.'

Finishing up, Akane was about to wash her hands when she realized for the first time that something was definitely wrong. Her hands seemed small almost pixyish. She squint her eyes but her hands didn't change. Frowning slightly, she blinked, rubbed her eyes, and then blinked again. 'Weird,' Akane thought as she gazed at her hands. She closed one eye and then switched to the other but again, nothing changed.

'Okay, this is just too strange.' She shook her head. 'I'm just not...' Her thought trailed off as her eyes came up and found a small, child-like face with long black hair looking back at her from the mirror. 'Who's that?' Her eyes and the child's eyes widened simultaneously as tiny hands snapped down to her sides. 'Kuso!' she cursed and tentatively reached out a finger toward the reflection. The child in the mirror did the same thing. Eventually, she made contact with the smooth surface of the mirror above the bathroom sink. She rapidly drew the digit back and stared at herself.

'It-It wasn't a dream! I'm a little girl!' Akane wanted to scream, "_Ranma! I'll get you for this!_" She wanted to stomp downstairs and give her so-called fiancé a piece of her mind (or even better, the business end of her mallet). However, memories of what had transpired the night before flooded back and drew her up short. 'Careful, Akane,' she warned herself, 'Gotta make sure that it's just not some weird side effects of those baka mushrooms or something.' Whoever regressed her obviously went to a lot of trouble. 'They even dressed me like a little girl.' Leaving the bathroom, she padded down the hallway. As she did, the new nine year old considered changing out of her childish pajamas. However, she decided against it. She didn't have time - she needed answers now!

# # # # #

"Ohayo, Akane-chan," Kasumi greeted her tween daughter as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Akane paused in mid-step. Her eyes observed her eldest sister (mother?) warily. Kasumi grinned. "Quite a night last night, ne?"

"Uh..." the girl began then stopped. She was still not 100 percent sure which Kasumi she was talking too - sister or mother. Given their relative sizes, the latter seemed the more likely.

"Well, Akane, don't dawdle. Go say ohayo to your father and imouto. They're out in the dojo. Then come straight back to the kitchen and help me with breakfast."

"Hai!" Akane replied with a little more energy. She turned and scampered happily towards the dojo. 'I just have to see Nabiki as a kid!' It didn't take her long to reach her destination. Once she did, she was startled to see both Ranma and Nabiki dressed in practice gis.

"Come on," Ranma was saying, "Up on your toes, Nabiki. Reach for the sky."

Akane couldn't stifle her giggle as the little girl who was her mercenary elder sister roll her eyes but nevertheless, stretched towards the ceiling trying hard to keep on the very tip of her toes. 'Kami-sama! Look at those pigtails! Kawaii!'

"Ohayo, Akane-chan," Ranma greeted taking her out of her reverie. It was replaced with a warm feeling swelling within her. It confused the nine year old for a moment. She blinked as he reached down and hugged her. Once Ranma let her go, Nabiki practically flung herself at Akane.

"Ohayo Onee-chan!" Nabiki squeaked, a bright smile on her face. The youngster wrapped her arms about Akane's neck and hugged her tightly.

Akane returned the hug for a moment. "O-Ohayo..." Her sister was so tiny. It had been a long time since they shared a real sisterly hug. Not since their mother had died... She decided to compliment the girl. "You know, Nabiki-ku-chan..." She paused and cleared her throat. She was taken aback by the sound of her own high-pitched voice. "You're kinda big for a five year old." 'And cute to boot.'

"O-nee-chan," the little girl whined while letting go, "Quit joshin'... You know I'm eight!" The youngster gave her invisible companion a sidelong look. Nabiki Tendo was looking younger yet again. She looked like one of the sixth-graders at school, perhaps just shy of twelve.

"Honto? You sure?" Akane asked while mentally comparing their size difference. As far as she remembered, Nabiki had never been small for her age.

"Akane," Ranma interjected in a warning tone, which made her blush lightly.

"You're nine and... I'm eight!" Nabiki affirmed while nodding in agreement with herself. It was a bizarre act.

"Oh... Gomen, Nabiki-chan." Akane patted the little girl gently on the head between her pigtails and smiled. "I was just ribbing my favorite imouto a bit."

"I'm your only imouto..." she pointed out. "So, are ya gonna train with us, Akane-oneechan?"

"Iie, 'Ne..." Akane cleared her throat again. "O-Okaa-san wants me to help with breakfast."

"Well, hurry up! I'm starved!" the younger girl complained. It was Ranma this time who rolled his eyes.

Baffled, Akane left the dojo, the entire time wishing she could get a handle on who was responsible for her predicament. 'I don't feel too sorry for Nabiki though,' she admitted to herself, 'I kinda like her being younger. Kawaii!' The girl broke out into a grin. 'I bet Ranma likes her that way too! Nabiki _can't_ misbehave!' That thought made her stop. 'Nabiki misbehave...' A huge grin spread across her young face.

# # # # #

'Why did Onee-chan think I was five?' Na-chan huffed to her invisible teenage... preteen passenger. 'Not sure, kiddo,' Nabiki remarked. 'She said she was ribbing you. Still kinda weird. Maybe that funny mirror did something, ne Onee-chan? Maybe... It did make us look older. Hai! I wish I could see it again. So do I, Na-chan.'

"Nabiki!" The little pigtailed brunette jerked out of her thoughts at her father's stern sounding voice.

"Gomen nasai, Daddy!" she squeaked, eyes starting to mist over.

Ranma smiled and knelt down by his daughter. "Where'd you wander off to, Nabiki?"

"I was right here, Daddy."

Ranma sighed, shook his head, and then gave his youngest a soft smile. "Well, come on. I think we both need to wash up before breakfast and then, you can get your seifuku on and go to school."

"Hai," the eight year old agreed. She took her father's hand they left the dojo. She squinted in the morning sunlight that was just starting to sneak over the compound wall.

# # # # #

Akane Saotome, a short time later, was looking dubiously up at her mother. She knew that her cooking was bad. She just couldn't figure out why. She tried her best every time. HE always caused her to mess up. It didn't help that the jerk would only eat her cooking if she literally forced him too.

"Now, Akane-chan," Kasumi instructed, "You start the rice, and then you can set the table."

"Hai," Akane remarked. She hoped that breakfast wouldn't be as much of as disaster as she feared it might be. 'There isn't even any way that I can make that baka jerk eat my food!' Akane huffed to herself.

After filling the measuring cup, she turned to her mother. "Ne, is this good?" Kasumi peered at the amount as her daughter held out the cup.

"Hai, and two more just like that."

"Un..." Akane answered. Carefully putting the rice into the cooker, the new nine year old thought, 'I wonder if Ranma is nicer... He _was_ training a girl.' That was certainly a major step up from his quintessential roughhouse behavior. 'It's nice to see him gettin' along with Nabiki.' The martial artist's typical reaction to Nabiki was wariness at the best of times and out and out fear at the worst. 'Maybe if she's naughty, Ranma will spank her.' She giggled imagining that image.

The youngster was prevented from following up this line of thought by Kasumi asking, "Akane, are you ready for the water?" The girl shook her head and started to get another cup of rice. "Ne, did you sleep okay, sweetheart?"

"I'm still a little sleepy, Okaa-san," was the reply. After the rice had been put into the cooker, Akane filled the measuring cup full of water and asked Kasumi if that was the right amount. When the woman nodded, Akane poured it in before getting more.

Once Kasumi had indicated she had done well, which caused the nine year old an internal sigh of relief, she closed the rice cooker and switched it on. "Now what, Mama?" Akane remarked naturally, and then blinked, tears suddenly coming to her eyes. '_Mama_? Where'd that come from?'

"Are you okay, Akane?" Kasumi asked.

"Ha-Hai... I just bit my tongue," the girl mumbled, ducking her head.

"If you're sure you're all right, Musume." Akane nodded still misty-eyed. "Okay, you can go set the table. I'll fix your bentos for school."

"Hai... Mama." The raven-haired tween gave Kasumi a large hug before leaving the room to set the table. From upstairs, she thought she heard Nabiki complaining about the water being too cold.

# # # # #

"Do I HAVE to wear this, Mama?" Akane asked her former sister yet again. She was up in her bedroom changing after breakfast. Nabiki was there as well. Seeing the Grade 4 patch, yet another remainder of just how young she was, was bad enough but this bright orange sailor style uniform was simply hideous. Akane fondly remembered wearing a cute red and white uniform when she was little. Why couldn't they wear those? She was so proud of it then. It certainly hadn't been this colorful. 'Maybe it's a different school than before.'

"What's wrong? You wear it every day," Kasumi questioned.

"I'm wearing mine, see Onee-chan?" Nabiki spoke up timidly, "I like your fuku." Akane looked over and noted the Grade 2 patch on her sister's sleeve. 'Akane-chan is weird... Hai, and Daddy didn't make faces when he ate Akane's rice either.' The nine year old had been more than ecstatic when her father (Ranma she corrected) praised her cooking and hugged her afterwards. 'You would've thunk he got a present from Ukyo-oneechan or something.'

Nabiki Tendo frowned. 'Would've _thunk_? I think our grammar's going.' The eight year old shrugged as she watched her sister in front of the mirror putting her long hair up into pigtails.

'This is the ugliest school fuku I've ever seen!' Akane whined with an internal grimace. 'Bleh!' Yes, it was safe to assume she wasn't attending Furinkan High School. ''_Na-chan_' doesn't seem to mind.' She regarded the girl and smiled. 'I wonder why she's only in Grade 2 when we're only a year apart in age? She is awfully small for eight. Oh well... I'll just have to live with it.'

"Pigtails?" Kasumi asked her daughter. 'Arigato Akane-chan.' It was a nice gesture.

"My onee-chan is wearin' 'em," Akane quipped.

'You ain't wearing pigtails, ne Onee-chan?' Na-chan wondered regarding Nabiki Tendo. They completely missed the surprised look on their mother. 'I think,' Nabiki remarked dryly, 'That she was talking about us... you.' Na-chan blinked. 'Why?' The teen shrugged. 'Dunno... Who can figure out nine year olds? But I'll be nine in a few months! So? Then you can be just as weird as Akane.' This gave Na-chan considerable pause.

"Well, O... Nabiki-chan," Akane declared as she picked up her school backpack, "I guess we should go." She prayed that she hadn't forgotten anything. Little Nabiki gave a start, grabbed her hand, and started the down the hallway, not even stopping to say good-bye to her mother. Kasumi quirked an eyebrow but trailed her two young daughters down the hallway.

# # # # #

It was almost lunchtime and Nabiki's second grade class had just finished watching a nature program on lions. "Now," said the teacher, "Who wants to take the DVD back to the library?" Several hands went up including Nabiki's.

"Na-chan, what are you doing?" Ruri asked softly. Her eyes showed mild disbelief.

"Yeah, Masada-sensei said take back the movie, not go _number one_!" Minako hissed.

'Hey!' Na-chan, suddenly aware her hand was up, squawked to the older girl, 'Whatcha doing?' The pigtailed girl ignored Minako's poke. The blonde was a little put out at not being answered.

'I wanna see how Akane's doing,' Nabiki Tendo explained, 'She was acting funny this morning, almost like...' The teen trailed off, deep in thought.

"Hey!" the little ribbon-wearing blonde hissed, poking Nabiki a little harder.

Na-chan wasn't able to respond because her teacher, startled by the normally shy child raising her hand, walked over, bent down, and handed her the DVD case. "All right, Saotome-chan, you can take it back to the library." She turned her attention to the whole class. "Now remember, minna, since it's raining outside, so we're eating inside here." A collective groan went up from the class. "You can read quietly until lunch."

"Hai," everyone answered.

Nabiki hopped from her desk and turned to her friends. "I'll be back!"

"Okay," Ruri acknowledged and winked like she'd seen and heard Miko-chan do.

"I wanted to take it, Na-chan," Minako grumbled. Ruri rolled her eyes.

Nabiki leaned closer and warned, "Poke me again, girlie, and I'll poke you right in the nose." The blonde's eyes went wide in shock. '**ONEE-CHAN!**' the younger Nabiki protested. 'Don't worry, I wouldn't really do it, Na-chan, but Minako was being mean.' The eight year old sulked for a moment. 'Ne, are you gonna get us out of here or what?'

Sighing, the youngest Saotome left the classroom. Once out in the corridor, she commented, 'I guess we could look for Akane-oneechan after we take the movie back. She _was_ actin' weird.' Akane had held her hand in almost a death grip the entire walk to school. 'She didn't even walk on top of the fence. Then, she even tried to go to Furinkan.' Nabiki blinked and the small face screwed up into a look of concentration. 'Ne, Onee-chan, didn't you do that once?'

'Well,' the teenager inside the youngster's mind replied, 'I don't think I tried. I remember I just gave you a headache.'

'Hai, you did,' Na-chan commented with a smug expression on her face. Her teenage self rolled her eyes. 'I think though, Na-chan, that Akane was just doin' that 'cause we saw Ukyo and Yuriko. Oh, I wouldn't mind going there when we're big. Their fuku were pretty. Hai. I can see why Akane would wanna go with Ukyo-oneechan though. She is pretty nice. I hope I'm like her and you someday.' Ukyo always gave her candy when she and her father visit her okonomiyaki stand. 'Hai!' Na-chan agreed, feeling better. 'It would be fun to have Ukyo in class with us, ne? She could make us lunch sometimes.' Na-chan giggled imagining a little Ukyo carrying the huge spatula she always had.

Nabiki had just turned in the DVD into the school librarian when she heard a familiar voice calling her name. Turning around, she turned to see Akane, long pigtails and all, strolling into the library. "Hi Onee-chan!" the eight year old remarked and moved to join her older sister.

"Nabiki-chan!" Akane exclaimed and hugged her sister hard. "Kami-sama, am I glad to see you!"

"Honto? You are?" Nabiki squeaked, eyes widening slightly. Usually her sister tended to avoid her at school. She never was quite sure why.

"You are _my_ imouto, ne?" the nine year old commented while releasing her hug. She nodded. "Whatcha doing?"

"Brining back a DVD, Onee-chan. It was about lions!" Nabiki explained. "It's was okay... kinda scary though."

"Scary, ne?" Akane echoed. "My sensei is scary." Nabiki giggled.

"Honto? What are you doing, 'Nee-chan?"

"Um... uh... I was gonna eat lunch with you, Nabiki," the older girl answered, crossing her fingers mentally. Nabiki looked happy for a moment and then gave her a suspicious look. Again, this was atypical behavior for her sister unless...

'Did Onee-chan forget her...' "Where's your bento?"

"I guess it's back in my classroom," Akane commented before thinking silently, 'Wherever that is.' She'd been on her way back from PE and got sidetracked. 'Was it 4-3 or 4-4? Kami-sama, I wish I was in Nabiki's class.' Not that the Grade 4 material was difficult. Quite the opposite, it was pitifully simple. 'I wouldn't feel so alone. Everyone's a stranger in mine.' That gave her an idea. "I tell you what, Nabiki-chan, why don't we get my bento and then, I'll come eat with you in _your_ classroom?"

"Honto?" The eight year old was looking as if she'd been picked for a guest starring role on the "_Miko-chan and Niko-chan Show_". When the older girl nodded was serious, Nabiki gave her a huge grin, grabbed her hand, and started leading her sister out of the library. The younger girl suddenly stopped and asked suspiciously, "You ain't joshin' me, ne Akane-chan?" Akane shook her head. 'Ugh!' Nabiki Tendo noised, 'I feel like we're on a rollercoaster sometimes.' Her host giggled. 'You're silly.'

"Listen, uh... Nabiki, is Cologne around?"

"Cologne-obaasama is at the Cat Café with Shampoo-oneechan, I guess."

"Good. I'm going to go see her."

"Can I come too, Onee-chan?"

"Hai, I guess so," the older pigtailed girl agreed.

"Sugoi!" Nabiki cheered happily and then asked, "When are we going, Onee-chan?"

"Now." The eight year old's eyes went wide, her face drained of blood, and her pigtails flapped back and forth, as she shook her head. "**WHY NOT?**" Akane demanded. Nabiki froze and her eyes began to mist over. Akane giggled nervously when she saw that other students in the corridor were giving her strange looks. "Gomen nasai... Why not, Nabiki-chan?" she asked in a softer less belligerent tone.

"Onee-chan! We'll get inta SOOOOO much trouble." The pigtailed youngster puffed up her cheeks before letting out a breath. "I don't want Mommy to be mad at me." Not after what happened last night.

"Guess you're right, Nabiki..." Akane appeared annoyed and worried at the same time. "But I got to fix this somehow!"

'She's sounding like you, Onee-chan,' Na-chan commented to her passenger.

'Hai, I think that mirror did something to Akane.' "Onee-chan, why don't we ask Happosai-ojiisama? He had the mirror and Mommy said we do gotta apologize."

"Mirror?" Akane questioned, "What about the mushrooms?"

"I don't like mushrooms," Nabiki remarked.

"Are you sure?"

The pigtailed girl gave her sister a dubious look. "Let's go eat. I'm hungry!" All of them liked that idea and the group headed off to Akane's classroom to retrieve her bento box.

# # # # #

Nabiki soon rejoined her friends in Classroom 2-2. Akane had told Nabiki she'd meet her there AFTER Nabiki pointed out it wasn't quite lunchtime yet and she didn't want her teacher to be mad.

"Minako-chan," Nabiki began, "I'm really REALLY sorry about saying I'd poke you in the nose. It wasn't very nice. Gomen nasai." The youngster blushed and bowed her head.

"I shouldn't've poked you either, Nabiki-chan," Minako responded. "Uh... Can we still be friends?"

"HAI!" the pigtailed brunette agreed, and gave both her friends a wide hug. Her eyes suddenly brightened as an idea slid into her head. "Ne, Minako-chan, Ruri-chan, what if you come over tomorrow? We gots lotsa mats in the dojo. You can show me how to do a cartwheel!" She placed her hands together and looked pleadingly at the little blonde.

"That sounds good, Na-chan," Ruri remarked. "I'll ask Mommy and Daddy if it's okay tonight."

"Me too... But we gotta study first though," Minako commented sourly. "Remember sensei told us today that we'd have a quiz in math. If I don't do good on this one, I'll catch it for sure."

At that moment, Akane appeared in the classroom doorway. Not only did her being a fourth-grader cause a little bit of stir but also her pigtails were the focus of many people's attention. Akane frowned; her own classmates had been acting strangely as well. She quickly looked around and spotted Nabiki who seemed the smallest kid in the class next to two little girls waving at her. "I'll be there in a second, Nabiki!" Akane called. She went in search of an empty desk to move next to the little group.

"I didn't think she'd come," Nabiki remarked.

"Why not?" Their friend shrugged. "Is she supposed to keep you outta trouble or something, Na-chan?"

Both Minako and Ruri took on mildly surprised and puzzled looks as Nabiki glanced hastily around and practically whispered, "Minako-chan, Ruri-chan, I caught it last night."

"NANI?" Minako asked, eyebrow cocked.

"No way!" Ruri exclaimed.

"Nani?" came a new voice. The trio of second-graders turned to see Akane towering above their classmates carrying an empty desk. "What are you planning?"

"Nothin'," all three answered and then giggled. Akane set the desk down next to theirs.

"Ne, Saotome-oneechan," Minako began, "Could you show us some martial arts stuff if we come over tomorrow?"

"I guess I could," Akane stated cautiously, "Nothing too fancy." She didn't want these little girls to get hurt.

"I'll ask Daddy and Mommy if it's okay if we can," Nabiki interjected. "Now let's eat."

"Itadakimasu," all three second-graders said in unison.

"Hey! Wait for me, minna," Akane complained as she rushed into the empty desk she'd brought with her bento box.

"Ne, Minako-chan, did you bring anything good?"

"Your mommy's cooking is ALWAYS better than mine, Na-chan," Minako admitted causing Nabiki to blush, "But I did nab a couple of extra okashi. Whatcha got to trade?"

# # # # #

"Bye bye, Minako-chan! Ruri-chan!" Na-chan called out as they left the classroom at the end of the school day. After a moment, the teen Nabiki asked, 'Where are you going? Need to pee. Do we? Hai. Huh.' The "_duo_" was outside the girl's bathroom when reality seemed to waver.

Suddenly, Nabiki Tendo found herself in control; her little friend was slumped sideways in a chair not responding.

"Konnichiwa, Nabiki-chan."

"**Iiieeeyaaaa!**" Nabiki yelped while whirling about. There standing in the corridor full of frozen children was Kaji. "Holy crud puppies!"

"'_Crud puppies_'?" Kaji asked, a wispy white eyebrow cocked.

"Well," Nabiki started and then stopped as she felt herself blushing a little, "Na-chan would be mad if I swore. And I don't want us to get inta trouble. I'd hate our mouth being washed out if Mommy found out."

"Right... I think," Kaji began with a small smile, "It's time to end this."

"**NANI?**" Nabiki yelped, "You can't!" Both of the demon's eyebrows rose steeply at this outburst. "I mean, not yet. It's not that bad and it keeps me out of your hair, ne? No way, Kaji, I'd wanna cross you now."

"That was never the point," the arbiter remarked sounding slightly put off.

"Wasn't it?" Nabiki asked, a pleading note in her voice, "I mean..."

"I am a demonic arbiter," Kaji declared. The demon snapped his fingers and Nabiki's Furinkan High School uniform appeared draped like a tent over her tiny frame.

"Please, Kaji, don't do this! If I go away, Na-chan will be very sad. Just gimme some time to fix things for her."

"When I shift things back to normal, '_Na-chan_' won't be around," he pointed out.

"IIE! Na-chan can't..." Nabiki composed herself. "I mean it's even more reason to keep this normal, ne?" she offered trying to sound business-like. Her face betrayed her though. She had tears welling up and starting to flow down her small cheeks; her pigtails noticeably drooped. He seemed resolved. "You can't do this, Kaji-sama, please!" She bowed deeply. The old looking man peered with keen eyes at the cute little girl, former unscrupulous teen, before him.

"Honto. I thought you would want to go back to being seventeen, Nabiki-chan."

"I was wrong. I like it here, Kaji-sama. Ranma and Kasumi are great parents. I love having Akane as my onee... even if she is acting weird. Maybe she's got a crush on a boy and..."

The arbiter sighed. "I'm growing weary..."

She stood up and looked pleadingly up into his eyes. "Kaji-sama, you don't know how good this is for me. It's another chance for me. Another chance to honor myself and my family. Please..."

Kaji sighed and waved his hand replacing Nabiki's high school uniform back with her brightly-colored elementary school one. "Okay, little business partner..." The demon was startled when the eight year old hugged him about the legs. 'Just for a little while longer, Nabiki-chan,' Kaji promised silently. This reality was starting to strain him.

# # # # #

Nabiki Saotome was a little surprised to find Akane waiting for her at the end of the day. She frowned as Akane took her hand and started down the hallway. 'I'm not a baby...' Na-chan pouted. 'Iie, we're not,' Nabiki agreed. Na-chan regarded her elder counterpart and felt her jaw fall open. Her "_big sister_" looked only slightly older than Akane. Ten? She was noticeably shorter and her hair reached to her shoulder blades now. The younger girl decided not to ask about such things. If her older self wasn't worried, she wouldn't be.

Both pigtailed Saotome children were surprised when they spotted Ranma and Kasumi waiting for them outside the Oizumi Elementary School gate. They ran to their parents shouting, "Konnichiwa!"

"Girls," Ranma began with a grin when the pair of pigtailed girls reached them, "You two caused quite a stir yesterday."

"Nani?" Akane's eyes opening wide and worried.

"Eh?" was Nabiki's question.

"Cologne invited me over after supper to discuss what happened last night. That mirror you girls played with really ruffled some feathers. Even ol' Happosai was bothered. I'm just glad neither of you got hurt."

"Hai..." both children agreed, blushing and bowing their heads.

"Hopefully, both of you have learned something about playing with things that don't belong to you _without_ permission," Kasumi lectured. Both girls nodded, blushing once again. "Good, now come on, Musume. We need to get home. Your otou-san and I have decided that tonight you'll eat supper, take your bath, and then go straight to bed." Her eldest accepted the punishment resolutely but her youngest pouted and looked ready to complain. "Ne, Nabiki, remember what I said last night before your bath?"

The little pigtailed girl swallowed hard and squeaked dejectedly, "Hai Mommy." The mother was a little disappointed though when the eight year old took her father's hand.

"That's it then," Ranma announced. "We'll need to get some practice in before supper."

"I can't, Daddy!" Akane protested. "I gotta help Mama with supper, ne?" Kasumi nodded. Smiling, almost shyly, Akane then took her mother's hand and the little family started walking home.

_End of Chapter 9_

Coming next in _**Chapter 10 - Rediscovery**_

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	10. Chapter 10 Rediscovery

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "_Innocence of Mine_" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com domain. Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Chapter 10 - Rediscovery**

**N**abiki Saotome, now dressed in a set of pink coveralls, a white T-shirt, and sweater, sat on her bed hugging her stuffed toy Pikachu to her chest. The eight year old watched quietly as her mother hung up her elementary school uniform. It was shortly before four in the afternoon.

"Mommy?"

"Hmmm?"

"When's supper gonna be?" Nabiki asked. She didn't want to go to bed TOO early.

"Oh, in about an hour or so," Kasumi responded before asking, "Do you have any homework today, Na-chan?"

"A little bit, Mommy," the youngster replied while hugging her stuffed toy. Kasumi sighed and came over to sit down beside her youngest daughter.

"You mad at me?" Nabiki shook her head after a moment, her mother continued, "I'm not trying to be mean, but what you did yesterday was wrong."

"Hai, I know," Nabiki agreed sadly and snuggled closer as her mother gave her a one-armed hug. "Mommy?"

"Nani?"

"Can Ruri-chan and Minako-chan come over after school tomorrow?"

After several seconds of silence, Kasumi slowly shook her head. "Iie, I don't think so, Nabiki."

"Okay..."

"But, if you're good," her mother began, "Maybe they can come over Saturday and spend the night..." The youngster brightened at this prospect and gave her mother a hug. "Now, Nabiki, you should do your homework."

"Hai!" Pigtails bounced as Nabiki hopped off of her bed and started routing through her bookbag, not even noticing that Kasumi had left the room. The little girl clambered back onto her bed and considered what she needed to do to finish her homework. She had just decided to do the dreaded math problems first to get them out of the way. That's when Akane came in dressed in a set of jeans and a green sweater.

"Hi Onee-chan!" Nabiki chirped happily giving her sister a hug once she came close enough.

"I was thinking, Nabiki-chan..." Akane began and then halted. The smaller girl looked up expectantly. "I guess I really messed things up yesterday, ne?" The nine year old hopped up onto the bed next to her and sighed. "Gomen."

"I ain't mad at you, Onee-chan," Nabiki assured her big sister. She moved closer and to demonstrate it she gave Akane another large hug. "I really wanted to see that mirror. Or at least Nabiki-oneechan did."

"Nabiki-oneechan?" Akane asked dubiously. "Where is she?"

"Right here," the youngster stated pointing at her head, "Why?"

It took an effort for Akane not to roll her eyes at Nabiki. 'Oops, I almost forgot how young Nabiki is,' she mused, 'Imaginary friends and all. At least, I never had one. Better not let on to her.'

"I wish Ojii-sama's mirror hadn't got broke."

"You and my backside both, Imouto," Akane grumbled. Her little sister blinked in surprise. "Mama was REALLY POed at me." 'I don't remember it but I must've been responsible for getting us both into trouble. Gomen, Na-chan.'

Na-chan nodded. "Hai... Mommy was really mad at me too. She even spanked me."

"Me too," Akane admitted while blushing slightly. 'It was so humiliating.'

"Honto? I didn't hear ya cryin' or nothing, Onee-chan."

"I was still downstairs," Akane pointed out. Kasumi hadn't bothered to march her former sister upstairs. She felt a little better after her eight year old pigtailed sister hugged her again. 'This kid is really huggy. Kinda nice though.' "Man, I wish I was older, Nabiki." She let out a silent sigh. 'I just know I'm going to tick Ranma off next. There's no way I can keep up with the '_good little girl_' act forever.'

"The mirror showed me all grown-up, Onee-chan. Maybe Happosai-ojiisama would give it to you so you can be bigger too." 'Na-chan!'

Akane shook her head rapidly. "No way, Nabiki-chan. I don't wanna even tempt the kamis." 'Or Kasumi.' Besides, as far as Akane could piece together, Happosai's mirror had had the opposite effect. It had brought her here to this strange reality and regressed her into a child. "I do wish I had some mushrooms though."

"Mushrooms? Why?" Na-chan asked her sister curiously. She had never shown any propensity toward them.

"Well, because I could be older then." When the younger girl gave her a very dubious look, she decided to explain. 'What the heck? Can't hurt to tell her.' "See, Nabiki-chan, Ra-Daddy ate these mushrooms one time and he got littler than you." 'Better not say I spanked him.' Akane was appalled when her sister began to giggle. "Nani?"

"That never happened, Onee-chan. You're being silly!" 'Akane's ribbing us again, ne Onee-chan? I'm not so...'

"I swear I'm telling ya the truth, Nabiki." Animatedly, she explained, "Daddy ate this magic mushroom and it made him littler than you and he was really mean to poor Ryouga-kun too. I had to hide another bigger mushroom so he could go back to normal 'cause he kept destroying them."

Nabiki by this time was staring at her older sister in total disbelief. 'Ne,' Nabiki Tendo began, 'Na-chan, can I talk to our onee please?' Na-chan shrugged and handed control over settling back to see what her invisible friend was up to. Maybe she could figure out what was wrong with her sister. "Akane-oneechan, did Ryouga-kun eat a mushroom too?"

"Hai... And Ryouga got little. He and Ranma, I mean he and Daddy, kept fighting and they kept wrecking the crop of mushrooms. If I hadn't hid some under the porch..."

"Akane-chan, Da... Ranma calls you a tomboy, ne?"

Akane blinked and then slowly nodded while saying, "Hai. An _uncute_ one."

'**NANI?** Daddy doesn't say that! Why are you fibbing?' Na-chan protested. 'Akane is really pretty! Daddy thinks so too.'

'I know, Na-chan,' Nabiki Tendo assured her younger self.

"How did you know... Nabiki? Is that really you?"

"**Hai, IMOUTO!**" Nabiki chirped while grinning broadly. 'Imouto?' She then gave a squeak as Akane hugged her hard. "And Na-chan's here too!"

"Na-chan?" the nine year old asked.

"Hai, I'm sorta in here with her, Akane. Kinda hard to explain. We've been on lots of adventures and yesterday was a pretty big adventure for both of us." The eight year old nodded in agreement with her other self.

"Nani? I don't get it, Onee-chan."

"You should, Akane," Nabiki argued and then frowned, "I hope you're treating your host nicely." 'I'm confused!' Na-chan whined. 'Na-chan, remember when I first got here, how cranky I was? Hai... I think Akane is acting weird 'cause she has an older Akane in her too like you have me. Oh!' The little girl's eyes went wide.

"Are you okay?"

"Hai, Akane-oneechan. I'm glad you're okay now. You were sure actin' funny before." 'Na-chan! Well, she was! Well, so were we! Hai but you ain't so bossy now as before. Hmnph!' Nabiki Tendo crossed her arms and pouted.

"Mind telling me how we got into this mess, Nabiki?"

The youngster before her sighed and then after several moments, she replied, "There's a demon, actually a demonic arbiter, named Kaji who was mad at me. He made things like this. You know, I think it worked out really good for us. Now that I know how to behave and stop being so bossy, like Na-chan says. Mommy 'n' Daddy 'n' you..."

"We need to track this Kaji down right away and force him to put things back to normal," Akane stated firmly putting her fist into her palm.

"But I don't want Nabiki-oneechan to go!" Nabiki whined.

"Kami-sama, talking to two Nabikis is giving me a headache," Akane grumbled, "_One's_ bad enough."

"Hey!"

"AKANE! NABIKI!" came Kasumi's voice from the bottom of the stairs.

"HAI!" both children responded.

"Are you both doing your homework?"

"'_I_' am, Mommy!" Nabiki sang out and gave her sister a pointed look.

"Hai!" Akane shouted but didn't bother moving.

"You better go do it, Onee-chan, or Mommy will be mad," Nabiki warned sternly.

"Why bother? It's boring grammar school baby stuff," the older girl complained.

"You're already on the hook for not doing it before, 'member? Mommy'll string you up by your thumbs if it ain't done."

Sighing, Akane capitulated and slid from the bed. "Hai... Hai, I'll go get it and bring it in here, Nabiki-chan." 'Kids... But at least _this_ kid loves me.' She could understand Nabiki did not want to risk a repeat of their punishment either.

# # # # #

Nabiki had finished her homework and was lying on her stomach reading a children's book for her book report assignment when her stomach growled. She glanced at Akane who had apparently given up finishing her homework and had started doodling.

"Onee-chan?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are ya gonna help Mommy with supper tonight 'cause I'm gettin' hungry?"

"Yeah," Akane sighed, brightening, "Ne, Nabiki-ONEECHAN, where did you meet this Kaji character? I mean how can you locate him?"

The younger girl's forehead furrowed for a moment and then she answered, "Onee-chan, Nabiki-oneechan says it don't matter 'cause this is nice and she wants to stay here with us." 'Please don't leave me, Onee-chan.'

"Why?" Akane squawked in surprise. Nabiki shrugged and went back to reading her book. "Come on, Nabiki, please don't make me beg."

The eight year old sighed and sat up with an annoyed look on her face. "Nabiki-oneechan says that he has a shop down by the arcade. It sells really old stuff... I think." The pigtailed girl gathered up her book, slid from the bed, and then headed for the door.

"Where are you going, Nabiki?" Akane nearly demanded. 'We don't have time to linger around here all day.'

"Bathroom," Nabiki said and left the room.

'Baka!' Akane thought, 'A shop down by the arcade, ne? But why is she so happy about being here?' Being an eight year old that's the size of the average kindergartener didn't seem like her mercenary sister's style. Her sister was never small for her age or so dependent. She would have followed Nabiki and made her see reason but Kasumi called her downstairs to set the table.

Meanwhile, both Nabikis were having a discussion of their own. 'Akane-oneechan's acting weird again. I don't like it.' Nabiki Tendo nodded. 'Hai, what a pain. Why don't our onee-chan '_drive_' sometimes? Dunno... Anyways, we need to get this book done and it was getting to the interesting part.' It was Na-chan's turn to nod. 'I wish Rumi-chan and Minako-chan could come over tomorrow. We'll just need to be on our best behavior for the rest of the week. Won't that be hard, Onee-chan? Hey, _we've_ always been a good little girl. It'll be easy! HAI!'

# # # # #

After supper, Nabiki Saotome was in her room alone getting ready for bed. She undid her pigtails then finished dressing in her favorite bunny-footed pajamas. As she went to turn off the light, she heard her mother's voice coming from Akane's bedroom; it didn't sound happy. Moving over to the door, she opened it a little and was able to hear Kasumi saying, "...Banned from the dojo for a month!"

'WOW!' Na-chan thought eyes going wide, 'Mommy is really M-A-D!'

"That's not fair, Ka-Mama!" came Akane's protest.

"None of your homework is done, young lady," Kasumi stated in an icy voice, "I told you before that if you didn't have your homework done, you couldn't train."

"It's boring!" was the retort. 'I can do that crap in my sleep!' Nabiki winced and backed away from the door. There was no reason to risk being pulled into that firestorm.

'Why's Akane-oneechan arguing with Mommy? I don't know but let's get into bed.' They had just fully snuggled under the covers and were watching the door intently when their mother came into the room. The woman looked annoyed, which almost immediately vanished to be replaced by a small soft smile. The mother of two padded over to the youngster and bending down gave her a hug and a kiss. "I want you to sleep tight, Nabiki-chan."

"'Night, Mommy," Na-chan replied, hugged her mother, and then asked tentatively, "Mommy?"

"Hmmm?" Kasumi replied while tucking the covers about her little girl.

"Ne, am I a baby 'cause I sleep with a nightlight?" 'Nani?' Nabiki Tendo questioned, 'I don't think we are!'

"You'll always be _my_ little girl but iie... Why?"

"'Cause Ruri-chan and Minako-chan don't," Na-chan offered after a moment, "'N' if they stay over..." Her mother brushed a few stray hairs off of her forehead and smiled.

"Well, what if I move it out to the hallway but leave your door open? And then if you're not scared, we can try closing your door, ne?" After several seconds' consideration, the child nodded her head.

Meanwhile, Akane Tendo fumed in the darkness of her bedroom. 'I can't believe this!' she thought savagely, 'Banned from the dojo? Who does she think she is? I'm the heir to the Tendo Dojo!' She rolled to her side and glowered at the opposite wall. 'Baka Kaji! Just wait until I get my hands on him!' She wanted to leave right now and find the person who had transformed her into a little girl. 'I'll bash his head in!' Unfortunately, there were two things stopping her. First was the fact that she didn't know exactly where his shop was. She needed a way to coax its location out of Nabiki. Second was the fact that she was in body (if not in spirit) a kid. That simple fact implied certain limitations on her movements. 'Kuso!'

Flopping back over onto her back, she sighed and crossed her arms. 'How am I going to get _Chibi_-Nabiki to help me?' The former tomboyish teen, however, never came up with any substantive plans before she fell asleep.

# # # # #

Shampoo tiredly cycled her way towards home when she spotted a familiar face. She pulled up in front of Ukyo's okonomiyaki restaurant with a, "Nihau, _Spatula Girl_!" She giggled at using that playful nickname.

"Konnichiwa Shampoo-chan." Ukyo greeted. When they had first met, neither had been on such good terms. Both had been openly hostile toward the other. Now though, things were better. They were not by any means close friends but both shared certain things in common, so they'd come to mutually respect and like each other.

"Ukyo closing now?" The teen nodded. "Shampoo done deliveries too. It busy day."

"Yeah, want a cup of tea?" The purple-haired teen considered and then nodded while dismounting her bike. "Good, I need one too and I wouldn't mind the company. Head on in, Shampoo-chan, and I'll be there in a second."

"Shampoo start water."

"Arigato, Shampoo-chan," Ukyo said and continued closing up her okonomiyaki establishment. It didn't take long and soon both sixteen year old beauties were sitting across from each other with a cup of tea and some sweets in front of them.

"Can I ask you something?" Ukyo inquired after a comfortable silence.

"Nani?" Shampoo asked.

"Why are you still in Nerima? I mean me I got a beef with Ranma's old man we haven't quite worked out yet but you..."

"Ukyo not know?" the Amazon questioned, "Shampoo thought everybody know."

"I know Ranma-san saved you but as a story, it's pretty plain." The spatula-wielding okonomiyaki chef grinned. "There's no juicy details."

Shampoo grinned. "Shampoo tell, Ukyo, it good story." The young chef refilled their cups and waited. The young Amazon gathered her thoughts and then began, "When Shampoo little girl, littler than Nabiki-chama, she go off on her own. Shampoo silly girl, think she can hunt like Amazon warriors."

"Did Mousse tag along?"

"Iie, Shampoo give baka Mousse slip. Shampoo think she can fight wild boar." The purple-haired girl nodded as Ukyo sucked in her breath in shock. "Girl Shampoo not know how dangerous boar really was. Lucky, it not kill me. It chase Shampoo so Shampoo climb tree to get away but boar hit it hard enough to make Shampoo fall. Shampoo fall in pool."

"Gomen... Did you get a curse?"

"Shampoo already had Jusenkyo curse so was kitty cat. Shampoo run; boar chase but can't see. I go in cave where Ranma-sama stay for night. I no see him first, only sleeping panda. Shampoo try run out but I knock over kettle of hot water and changed back to girl."

Ukyo grinned. "I bet that surprised Ranma-san."

The young Amazon giggled. "Ranma-sama not happy. Was going to use kettle to change back to man. Shampoo still silly, pick up Ranma-sama's walking stick and go back out to fight boar that shame Shampoo." Here the Amazon blushed. "Ranma-sama no let me out so Shampoo hit him and tell him not to be baka male." (I'm lucky Ranma-sama wasn't a woman from our tribe or I'd have been in BIG trouble!)

"Honto? I bet he wasn't happy about that, ne Shampoo-chan?"

"Iie, Ukyo, Ranma-sama smack little Shampoo on bum and tell her behave or Shampoo in more trouble. Ranma-sama give Shampoo shirt and then go out to get rid of boar. Boar baka, not realize stronger person now facing it so our village have nice roast boar that night."

"So you followed him then? For marriage?"

"Iie, Ranma save little girl Shampoo from silly mistake. Law say Ranma-sama become Shampoo's adopted honored parent. I not get to leave to follow Ranma-sama for long time, make Shampoo sad. Shampoo can no marry Ranma-sama, only if man beat woman in fair fight. Shampoo would..." Suddenly, the Amazonian teen halted and blushed brightly, before taking a long sip of tea.

"I think I know, Shampoo-chan. So you came to see him and help him with the girls, ne?" The purple-haired girl nodded.

"Village think Shampoo headstrong and need strong father but Ranma-sama already have babies."

"Ah..."

"So, Spatula Girl," Shampoo questioned innocently, "How Ryouga-kun in bed?" She was pleased when Ukyo spewed tea across the table.

# # # # #

The Moon was beginning its descent into the western sky when Kasumi awakened. She lay there wondering what had awakened her. She stared into the late night gloom and it was a minute or two before she realized that a small form was standing beside her bed.

"Na-chan?" she whispered but she knew that it wasn't. There was no response except a silent hesitation. Smiling to herself, she lifted the covers and was not surprised when Akane slipped under them, only to snuggle against her. Kasumi wrapped her arms about her daughter and hugged her. "Can't sleep, ne Akane-chan?" The youngster shook her head and pressed closer, sighing when Kasumi started to stroke her long hair.

After a few moments, Akane murmured, "Mama..." and then drifted back to sleep. Her mother smiled and drew the covers about them more than also drifted off to sleep. Outside clouds were quickly gathering and soon it began to snow softly, quietly, covering the city in silent whiteness.

# # # # #

Ranma Saotome awoke to darkness. He smiled to himself as he felt the soft warmness of his wife's flesh pressing against him. He move a hand a gently stroked her side, tracing her form. She stirred and Ranma thought that perhaps he could steal some time before the day started. His intentions were thwarted when Kasumi stopped his hand.

"Akane is here, Ran-chan," she whispered, not bothering to move.

This wasn't the first time one of his young daughters had joined them during the night. Ranma came up on one elbow fully intending on sending his eldest back to her own bedroom but she was nowhere to be seen. "Iie, 'Sumi-chan. She must've left," he declared. Satisfied that they were alone, he started to lower his head to kiss her but jerked backwards as she suddenly sat up.

Kasumi looked around, her eyes lighting on the clock. "Oh my!" the woman exclaimed. She threw back the covers and slid out of bed. "It's late!"

He glanced at the alarm clock. "It's only seven, my love."

"Gomen, Ran-chan. I need to get the girls ready."

"They do have two grandparents in the house," Ranma pointed out. "Come back to bed for a while." He winked at her.

"Not now," Kasumi hissed. "Go find the girls while I go start breakfast."

Sighing and dejected, Ranma got out of bed, dressed, and looked out the window. He was surprised to discover it was snowing. It didn't look as if it would be letting up anytime soon. Sighing again, he left the bedroom and walked the short way down the hallway to Akane's room. He found it empty; her bed already made. Moving onto Nabiki's room, he found the bed unmade but the room empty.

Rapidly moving downstairs, he located Kasumi who was looking annoyed. His father-in-law was standing in the kitchen looking bemused.

"Why didn't you wake me up, Otou-san?"

"I'm quite capable of making the girls' bentos. I made yours many days, remember Kasumi-chan?"

"And what about their breakfast, Otou-san?"

"They've already eaten some..." Soun commented, stacking the completed bento boxes on the counter, "Cereal thanks to Akane, I believe."

"Tendo-san, where are they?" Ranma asked.

"The dojo," Soun commented, "Ol' Saotome is still sawing logs." He quipped, "He saw the snow and decided that practicing sleep would be best." Ranma snorted and shook his head. He glanced at Kasumi and decided to go and find his daughters.

The first thing he heard was giggling. As he padded up the stairs towards the door of the dojo, the father of two smiled; both of his children sounded happy. He quietly stepped inside and watched for a few moments as Akane and Nabiki played some type of dodging game.

'Na-chan is missing her anime show.' "Ne!" he called out, both children turning to face the doorway, "Nabiki-chan, aren't you going to watch your show?"

"Ah!" Nabiki gave her sister a stern look and then ran over to hug her father. "Ohayo Otou-san!"

Her father hugged her back scooping her up and giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Nabiki-chan, how are you?"

"Nabiki didn't want to get out of bed, Daddy," Akane complained.

"Daddy wasn't even up yet," Nabiki countered.

"And I thought you were banned from the dojo, young lady," he commented to the nine year old.

"I was watching _my_ imouto and then she wanted to do something while we waited for you," Akane explained. 'I can't believe I crawled in bed with Kasumi! You'd think I was really a little kid!' She also wanted to question Nabiki but the youngster was more interested in talking about what she and her friends would do on the weekend than talking about Kaji.

"Well, we're both awake now, Musume. I think Akane you should try and get SOME of your homework done while you have the chance."

"Hai..." the youngster groaned but came over and hugged her father before heading into the house. Ranma followed behind her carrying Nabiki piggyback. "Daddy?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you like blueberries?"

"Un... Why?"

"'Cause," the youngster began while lifting her head, "Niko-chan said he didn't like them 'cause they made it rain every time he ate 'em."

"I think that's a fib, Imouto," Akane commented, pausing by the door to the house. 'Little kids...'

"And what fruit don't you like?"

"I like 'em all 'cept peaches, Daddy. You know that," Nabiki replied with a smile, "Daddy?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can you teach me how to do a cartwheel?"

"Hai, I can, Nabiki-chan. Ne, what about after school?" The only response was a giant hug and a giggle. "Although we might be playing outside in the snow if it keeps up like this."

"That would be sugoi!"

# # # # #

"Look at all the snow!" Minako gushed. Her small nose was pressed to the window.

"Sugoi..." Ruri agreed. She and Nabiki were standing besides the ribbon-wearing blonde looking out the window at lunchtime. The sky had grown darker and the snow fall more steadily, so much so that it looked like white curtains. The streetlamps were like small beacons in a forest of white.

"Minna!" their sensei called. All activity within the classroom paused as each head turned to regard their teacher. "Gather your things up, class. Because of the weather, the school will be closing early today. Your parents are coming to pick you up."

As the trio of second-graders moved towards their desks, Nabiki said, "Gomen, I wish you could come over today."

Minako shrugged. "It's okay, Na-chan. Your mommy called mine last night. She said I could come over Saturday... if I did okay on the math test." The little blonde grimaced. "I hope I do." 'If not, I won't be sitting for a _long_ time.' She sighed internally.

"Me too!" Nabiki commented.

Ruri nodded. "Hai. Mommy said I could come too." Nabiki grinned in anticipation.

A short time later, Nabiki was plowing her way through the snow holding onto her father's hand and feeling as if the wind would lift her right off of the sidewalk. Akane had taken her hand and was bringing up the rear of the little group as they made their way home.

'I hope this clears up, Onee-chan,' Na-chan thought, 'I wanna play outside later. Maybe build a snowman.'

'Hai!' Nabiki Tendo agreed. Na-chan wanted to ask why her older sister now looked no older than Akane but had decided that if her older self wasn't worried about it, she shouldn't be either.

"Don't worry, Musume!" Ranma called to his two daughters. "When we get home, I bet Mommy has some hot chocolate for us!"

'Sugoi!' both Nabikis cheered simultaneously and tried to walk faster.

# # # # #

"**O-NEE-CHA-AN!**" came the insistent voice of Nabiki from the front entranceway. Akane in her darkened bedroom pulled the pillow over her head and pretended not to hear.

"O-NEE..." The youngster's voice was suddenly cut off after a minute or so she could hear Nabiki say, "FINE! I'M GONNA PLAY **ALL BY MYSELF**!" Akane could see her younger-older sister then marching down the hall, or more likely back outside where the torrent of snow had slackened.

Drawing the pillow down to her chest, she hugged it while rolling to her side and staring at the wall. 'I don't want to stay like this!' Akane whined to herself yet again, 'But how am I going to get the information about this Kaji character out of Nabiki? She can be stubborn when she wants to be.'

"Akane-chan?" came the soft voice of Kasumi, "Ne, why are you giving Nabiki '_the silent treatment_'? She wants you to go play." Akane shrugged and kept staring at the wall. She sensed Kasumi moving across the floor before she felt her bed shift as her mother sat down on its edge. "Is something wrong? You usually love playing outside in the snow with your imouto." The girl remained mute. "Akane?" The nine year old hid her face against the pillow. Sighing, the mother of two got up and left the room.

After awhile, Akane rolled to her back letting the pillow slide to her side and she stared up at the ceiling, feeling trapped, feeling as if she wanted to hit something.

"Akane-chan?" The youngster sat up and was startled as Happosai hopped onto her bed. "Anything I can do?"

"Gomen nasai. I didn't mean to break the mirror, Happosai-ojiisan," Akane muttered, feeling herself blush, "I guess I really put my foot in it." 'Kami-sama, why did I just apologize to the old hentai?'

"Indeed... I feel bad for bringing such a dangerous item into the house." The wizen old man gave her a searching look. "Anything you want to tell me?"

"Nani?"

"Well... You've been out of sorts lately, Akane-chan. Are you sure there's nothing going on that a fellow martial artist can help you with? I won't tell your parents."

"Not with Nabiki being baka!" Akane felt her anger swell within her. "What I wouldn't give to..." She clamped down on the urge to blow up. Venting normally helped but she couldn't afford it in her current regressed state though. Retaliation against Nabiki would likely lead to swift and painful punishment for her posterior.

"You know, Akane-chan, Nabiki looks up to you." When she snorted, Happosai grinned. "She does. Not just because you're her onee. And you not doing your homework will make Nabiki not want to do hers and she does need to keep her grades up."

'What's he talking about? Nabiki is a good student. She used to help me when... Is Na-chan that dumb... Iie, I can't worry about the kid.'

"Akane-chan?"

"It's boring, Ojii-san," Akane groused. "I can do it in my sleep!"

"In that case, do it and get it out of the way," the ancient martial arts master said reasonably.

Her retort was cut short by the appearance of her sister in the doorway. The eight year old put her hands on her hips and glowered at her sister. She would've thought it looked cute if not for her foul mood. "Are you sulking, Onee?"

"Iie!"

"Then come 'n' play!" The younger girl glowered as her older sister shook her head. Marching into the room, she crawled onto Akane's bed and knelt there looking stern. "Akane-oneechan, why are you mad at me?" she asked with big puppy-dog eyes.

"Because your _Nabiki-oneechan_ won't tell me where Kaji is!" she snapped.

Happosai, who had been trying to think of something to distract both girls, froze as she her heard that name. 'Couldn't be... They must mean someone else.' "Akane-chan, who is Kaji?" he tried to ask calmly.

"Apparently, a demon that made my _baka_ onee young!" the child practically shouted. Happosai's eyebrows rose. Akane though was almost instantly sorry that she had shouted because Nabiki's eyes misted over and the eight year old looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Akane!" Happosai hissed then soothed, "Don't cry, Na-chan. You know I'm not mad at you and I'm sure your onee isn't either, ne Akane?"

Akane obstinately looked to her desk and didn't answer. Nabiki sniffled and then admitted, "Happosai-ojiisama, I'm sorry about the mirror. Gomen nasai! I was really naughty 'n' I didn't mean..." At that point, her tears increased and she buried her head into the old man's shoulder.

"There there. I'm not mad at you, Na-chan," the old man interrupted, "Truly I'm not." Akane looked in disbelief at the old master being uncharacteristically kind. Nabiki sniffled for a moment and then gave Happosai a hug, which he returned with a smile. "Now, tell me how you know about Kaji?" he asked, trying to keep the worry about of his voice.

Unseen under Akane's bed, Mamoru listened as the story unfolded. 'This,' the demon thought to itself, 'Is not good.'

_End of Chapter 10_

Coming next in _**Chapter 11 - Saying Good-bye**_

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	11. Chapter 11 Saying Goodbye

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "_Innocence of Mine_" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com domain. Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Chapter 11 - Saying Good-bye**

**T**hrough the dark swirling snow of early evening, an innocuous old man walked. His shoulders were hunched and steps shuffled. Lost to the howl of wintry weather was the angry grumbling that was coming from his mouth, which was tucked inside his jacket.

"I'll kill him!" Kaji snarled again, "I'll kill that baka Happosai... Iie, that's too good for him. Hmmm... I'll put him in with Elvis!" The demonic arbiter shook his white-haired, snow-covered head. "Iie, that's too mean to Elvis." He considered and then grinned. "I know!" Just then, a tentacle appeared. "Oh Mamoru!" There was a pause and then he declared, "I just came up with what I'm going to do with Happosai for interfering in my plans! I'll have to start all over again if he throws any more monkey wrenches in things!" The tentacle demon rippled for a minute or so. "Nani? What did he do? That old panty-thief brought a Ki battery stocked full of normal reality into their house. No wonder it put a strain my the energy reserves." Another ripple from his multi-armed companion made Kaji say, "Well first, I was going to toss him in with Elvis but that would just be mean to poor Elvis. I know... I'll turn him into a toilet seat, in a men's public restroom! Hai, that'll fix him." He cackled evilly, rubbing his hands together.

A silent comment from Mamoru abruptly stopped his laughter. "What do you mean Happosai didn't have anything to do with it? Who else could've..." The lesser demon squirmed reluctantly communicating what he'd seen and done to his master. Kaji sighed. "Akane? An accident? Hai... Fine..." He grumbled for a little bit more and kicked a nearby snowbank with his snow boot. "You sure know how to spoil a demon's good time, Mamoru-kun. You really do." Sighing, Kaji started walking again with his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face.

"It has to end soon anyway, my friend. I can't keep this up. My energy reserve is just enough that I can either let things go back to normal or make this permanent." Mamoru asked a question. "What do we do? I'm going to go talk with the Tendo, I mean Saotome sisters." After a moment of thought, he replied to the silent question, "Akane? Hai, you might need to take care of her." Then in a more sour tone, he continued, "I should send you off to attack Chibi-Usa." The tentacle demon shuddered.

# # # # #

Akane Tendo, or rather Akane Saotome in her current prepubescent form, flinched away from the door of Nabiki's bedroom as her sister gave a particularly pained squeal. It was just after supper when Kasumi was out of the room that the incident had started.

Now, Akane with her black hair hanging straight to her waist lurked outside her younger sister's bedroom. As far as she could tell, it sounded like their mother (_Kasumi_, she had to keep reminding herself) was intent on delivering every spanking little Nabiki had or would earn in her life. The nine year old wasn't completely sure about this given her limited experience and fuzzy childhood memories of when their real mother was still alive; as it was, she hoped not.

The young martial artist was also feeling guilty. When the trouble had started, she'd only felt anger toward Genma; that had started it. She'd been more than a little alarmed when Kasumi had come into the room. Self-preservation, and her annoyance at Nabiki, had stopped Akane from confessing her role in the trouble. She could only conclude that Nabiki took the complete blame and the consequences upon herself. Now though as she listened to her current kid sister spewing out miserable sounding yowls and pain-induced squeaks, she felt guilty. Would she have done that same for her sister had the situation been reversed? Likely not, she knew. 'Gomen nasai, Onee-chan.'

Suddenly the noises coming from Nabiki's room decreased in volume. With wide eyes, the nine year old bade a hasty retreat to her own bedroom, and swiftly peeled out of her clothes and into her pajamas. Just as she was fastening the last of her pajama top buttons up, her mother entered.

"Akane-chan, go take your bath." The look on her mother's face made Akane decide to simply nod her head and start collecting her bath things. "Are you done with your homework?"

"HAI!" Akane squeaked as if coming to attention. She wasn't about to make the mistake again of ignoring it regardless of how ridiculously easy it was. She stood there looking worried for a moment until the woman nodded in satisfaction.

"Good, because I want to make something crystal clear, young lady. ANY slacking on that end is going to get you a spanking from your father." Akane's only reaction was to stare wide-eyed. The mother of two wasn't about to add that Ranma would be shifting genders to carry out the punishment. 'Baka really but if that's what it takes...' "Understand?"

"H-Hai..." The youngster sagged as her mother turned to leave the room. Kasumi was nearly out the door before Akane asked tentatively, "Mama... You weren't too hard on Nabiki-chan, ne?" 'She's just a little kid, even if she's really a seventeen year old pain in the ass!'

Kasumi turned back and gave her daughter a puzzled look. "Nani?"

"Well, there _was_ a lot of noise and I know you were mad and..." she trailed off.

"Just what did you think I was doing, Akane Saotome?" Kasumi asked, her hands on hips. The woman had a mixed expression playing across her face.

"Uh well..." The youngster shuffled her feet and glanced about nervously. "Gomen, Mama... It sounded like... Well like Nabiki was being spanked."

"Hmmm..." her mother remarked while thinning her lips, "Well, Akane, if you must know, I was just brushing out your imouto's hair before her bath. It was a mass of tangles from your latest braiding attempt. I thought it would be easier to wash." 'She sure made a fuss.'

"Gomen nasai," was all Akane could think to say while blushing.

"You make sure to tell Nabiki that tomorrow." As Kasumi left the room, she thought, 'I also gave her a swat for running around in her birthday suit. Honestly, that child has the modesty of a two year old!' It never occurred to Kasumi that her eldest daughter had thought Nabiki was being punished for something she did. However, she was forestalled from that line of thought when her youngest came streaking past in nothing but a pair of socks and shouting something about bubblebath. Mentally shrugging, the mother of two headed off to try and talk her daughter out of a bubblebath.

# # # # #

"Nabiki!" came the voice, more urgent this time.

Nabiki Saotome woke up with a start, looked wildly around, and muttered, "Mommy, I already went number one..." She then decided to make sure she hadn't had an accident and felt around the mattress. The little girl sighed with relief when everything seemed to be dry.

"I know, Nabiki-chan," came the voice. Now Nabiki recognized it.

"Kaji-sama?" The eight year old rubbed her eyes with one fist while still hugging her stuffed Pikachu toy with the other arm. She squinted as blue-white fire flared into being. There sat Kaji, face tilted down, eyes looking tired and a look as if he had a faint headache about his eyes. "What are you doing here?" There was a pause and then she worried, "What if Daddy catches you?"

"I've stopped time... at least locally." If Nabiki had been fully awake, she might have asked what "_locally_" meant. "Mind if I turn on a light?" The girl shook her head and then reached over to turn on her bedside light. She'd slept two nights in a row without a nightlight and was feeling fairly confident about it.

'I hope Na-chan isn't too scared...' The youngster frowned, and then scowled. 'Na-chan? It's okay. Na-chan?' But there was no echo. '**Na-chan!**' Nothing; emptiness. "Kaji-sama! Na-chan's missing!" the eight year old squealed in panic after a few moments. She threw off the blanket and sat on the edge of the bed. "I can't find her. Normally when you stop stuff, she just goes to sleep but now..." The little girl's face drooped. "She's not around, and I don't _FEEL_ her 'n'..." Her breathing started to come shorter as her eyes misted over.

"Nabiki-chan," Kaji interrupted, his eyes looking old and sad, "Na-chan is gone."

"Gone?" When the demon nodded, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that '_Na-chan_' isn't in that body." He pointed to her.

"Where is she then? She'll be really scared! Please Kaji-sama, let's go check on her."

"She won't be scared unless you are, Nabiki-chan," Kaji soothed.

"You're supposed to be mad at me! Don't be mean to her!" Nabiki pleaded, eyes widening.

"I'm not," Kaji assured her. He may have been once but that seemed like long ago. "Nabiki... Didn't Na-chan ever mention you were growing younger?" The bunny pajama-clad girl considered and then nodded sadly. "Well, I couldn't keep both of you here. Gomen, it took too much power. If I had, you both would have..." He stopped and winced before glancing back at the door. Sighing, he shook his head. "I just came here to say that you don't have to worry, Nabiki-chan. I didn't want you to be worried and running around looking for me when you woke up in the morning."

"B-but... she'll be all alone! I'm her onee!" Nabiki protested, tears starting to run down her small cheeks.

"Nabiki! Na-chan is you. She's ALWAYS been you."

Nabiki shook her head sadly. "Iie, I was a bad little girl. Na-chan was always good!"

"Always?" Kaji questioned, eyebrow quirked. The child nodded. "Well... I doubt it but let's say that she was for the sake of argument." The young girl pouted. "But she was you at one time..." 'Sort of.' "Before your mommy died. The woman who was NABIKI TENDO'S mother. I bet losing your mommy was hard, ne?" Nabiki nodded looking troubled. "Na-chan was the shy little girl you hid within you who looked away when your mother died and things changed forever."

"That's a lie, Kaji-sama! Mommy's alive! Kasumi is my mommy!"

"Hai, she can be, little one."

"Nabiki-chan, within the next twelve hours, you're going to have to make a choice. Will you be Nabiki Tendo or Nabiki Saotome?"

"But I already know what I'd choose - **I wanna be Nabiki ****SAOTOME**** forever!**"

"Little business partner, you're half-asleep and you need to talk with Akane about this. Mamoru tells me that she's here too."

"But..."

"Nabiki," Kaji said more sternly than he intended, "Sleep. Tomorrow you can tell me your decision AFTER you talked to Akane." 'I hope she'll get through.' "Your decision affects her too."

"Okay, I'll go get her now!" Nabiki whined. Kaji looked pained and with an exasperated sigh, he vanished. Anger temporarily replaced her grief. "**HEY, YOU JERK!**" she shouted, "GET BAck here! Fix..." Tears started to trickle down her cheeks and within moments, she was crying, feeling terribly lonely. "Na-chan..."

# # # # #

Kasumi Saotome woke up suddenly. Glancing around her darkened bedroom, all she found was Ranma. Her husband was sound asleep and interested in nothing but snuggling against her soft warm body.

Deciding to check on her daughters, she got up and padded to the door, pausing only slightly as Ranma muttered something that nearly made Kasumi giggle out loud. Shaking her head, the twenty-nine year old mother of two left her bedroom and went down the hall. She paused outside of Nabiki's room and after a moment went in.

There, looking miserable, was little Nabiki. "Sweetheart, what's the matter?" 'Did she have a nightmare?'

Nabiki looked up as her mother came over to the bed and sat down. The child instantly crawled into her mother's lap and wrapped her small arms about Kasumi's neck.

"Nabiki-oneechan went away, Mommy!" the girl sobbed completely heartbroken.

Kasumi hugged her youngest to her bosom making soothing sounds and gently rocking her child in her arms. 'Perhaps, it's best she's gone, Nabiki.' She had always had mixed feelings concerning _Nabiki-oneechan's_ influence on her impressionable little girl. Kasumi knew that she could never explain her apprehension to her daughter. "Poor Na-chan," she said sympathetically, "I know it's hard but you'll make new friends."

"But I want, Nabiki-oneechan," the eight year old sniffled.

"Well, she's gone away but I know about another onee. She's right next door." Kasumi suggested softly. "Ne, Na-chan, what if you go stay with Akane tonight?" It took a few minutes for Kasumi to convince her youngest to go and stay with her sister.

# # # # #

Akane opened her eyes. She frowned into the darkness of her room and listened sleepily to the wind. She wondered vaguely in a disembodied sort of way what had awakened her.

'Maybe I gotta go to the bathroom.' After a moment, she mentally shrugged and rolled onto her right side. On her nightstand in faintly glowing green numbers, she could see the clock telling her to go back to sleep. She sighed, closed her eyes, and snuggled under the covers. 'This Saturday is gonna be the pits!' She'd been told, via Kasumi, that her father "_Ranma_" had her scheduled to polish the dojo floor all afternoon. Running back and forth bent over pushing a rag on the floor was not her idea of fun. The nine year old didn't bother to ask why she was being forced to do this menial chore; she knew quite well, as her mother did that she'd brought it on herself.

While she was brooding, there was a noise outside her door. Akane frowned and then decided it was best to pretend to be asleep. Moments later, her door opened and the child took a chance to peek. She found her mother and Nabiki coming into her room. She closed her eyes and waited, wondering what had happened.

Not long after that, her younger sister in this incarnation was tucked under the covers beside her and within another few seconds, Kasumi had left. As soon as Akane felt it was safe to talk, she whispered, "What happened, Nabiki?" 'I bet she wet her bed.'

Instead of the hug and teary response she had come to expect from this younger version of her sister, the girl jabbed her hard with her elbow and stated loudly, "I'm asleep!"

'Good grief, I was right. I got to get out of this nightmare.' She wanted her independent-minded elder sister back. She promised never to complain about the teen's mercenary ways again. Sighing in resignation, Akane rolled to her back, stared up at the ceiling, and tried to go back to sleep.

Meanwhile unbeknownst to her sister, Nabiki fumed. One moment, Kaji was talking to her about Na-chan; the next moment, he disappeared only to be replaced by Kasumi who was insisting on Nabiki sleeping with her "_real_" big sister. It annoyed her even more that she wasn't going to be allowed to stay in _her_ room (and have a good quiet cry over Na-chan's departure) before Kaji came back for her decision. If she _had_ to sleep with Akane, her sister should have had to come into her room.

'Maybe I should go sleep with Mommy and wet the bed,' Nabiki angrily mused as she stared up into the darkness. She listened to the wind outside echoing the storm of emotion she was feeling inside.

# # # # #

Akane suddenly bolted upright. She stared at the wall across from the floor of her bed for a moment, and then frowned as she noticed the faint shimmer of light coming from the slightly open door. She turned and discovered that her younger sister was no longer asleep in the bed beside her.

Flopping back down, Akane sighed, glanced at the clock, and sighed with annoyance. 'It's the middle of the night. Kami-sama, I'm gonna be REALLY cranky in the morning at this rate.' She briefly considered smacking Nabiki for waking her up and then pushed the thought away. 'I'd rather be woken up than have my BABY IMOUTO wet my bed too.'

Deciding it was best to wait for her sister to come back from the bathroom before trying to go back to sleep, the nine year old got out of bed and looked out her window. 'Wow, it's still snowing.' She stood there in her bare feet watching the snow fall down in gusty sheets of white. As time went by however, Akane frowned. 'Nabiki can't be taking that long.' Worried now, Akane crept across her room and poked her head out the door into the hall. The house was quiet.

Softly padding down the hallway, she carefully peeked into her parents' bedroom and found Kasumi and Ranma, both cuddled together, alone. 'Well, she's not in there.' Quietly she walked to the bathroom but even before she looked inside, she could see it was dark and empty.

"Baka little kid, where is she?" she grumbled, pausing to frown at her toes. "Kitchen?" she muttered to herself. After a moment, she carefully padded down the stairs and was about to head towards the kitchen when she noticed that something was askew. It took Akane several moments to figure out what it was but then when she did, she was confused. "Iie, she didn't!" the youngster hissed a little louder than she would have liked. She then looked nervously up the stairs. Fortunately, none of the adults stirred. Padding over, she verified that Nabiki's snow boots were indeed missing. 'Hai, she did.' Frowning, she walked to the front door and was not surprised to find it unlocked. Cracking the door open, she shivered as the cold air whipped into the house blowing back her long black hair. There, in the snow though, starting to fade from sight, were clear boot marks leading away from the house.

Akane shut the door and stared at it for a moment. 'Kuso!' the youngster seethed, 'Well, what do I do now?' After a moment, she sighed and pulled on her own boots before getting her coat. 'Kami-sama, I'm her onee. I better go after her... wherever the little fungus went.'

# # # # #

Mamoru slithered silently along behind Nabiki down the darkened streets of Nerima. It was growing more agitated as the minutes passed. The little girl's clothing was not meant for a harsh winter storm and she was already soaked from having tripped and fallen. Nabiki was sounding frustrated, angry, and scared at the same time. Only her stubborn determination kept her going.

Meanwhile, due to her martial arts skill and agility, Akane had caught up quickly to her petite sister. She did not join her though. She chose to trail at a discrete distance behind her to find out what would be important enough for her sister to leave in the middle of the night during a storm without telling anyone. 'Nabiki must be riding roughshod. Poor Na-chan wouldn't do this.' A major disadvantage in Akane's strategy though was that she had trouble keeping Nabiki in sight through the heavy snowstorm.

Mamoru could not see the girl trailing them but it could sense her off in the distance. Akane was moving away from her sister now. Nevertheless, the demon did not move to act until Nabiki fell into a snowbank and didn't bother getting up. Sighing to itself, Mamoru decided to get both "_Saotome_" sisters under a safe roof and let its master sort things out.

# # # # #

Kaji was startled by a thump. He stood up from his chair in the small sitting room at the back of his shop and frowned. It was hours before his shop was scheduled to open. There was another thump and a small squeal of indignation. Who would be out on a night like this? More to the point, who would be out and able to get into his shop? Moving quickly, he entered the main section of his antiques shop and was startled to see Nabiki and Akane Tendo sprawled on the floor and just beginning to gain their senses back. Beside them, Mamoru was waving several of its tentacles in obvious agitation.

"What are you doing out at this time of night?" Kaji lectured the two children. Nabiki sprang up, ran over to the old man, and hugged his legs. Akane for her part got up rubbing her backside while glowering at Mamoru. "You're lucky Mamoru-kun knows I'm working with you two." Mamoru writhed in annoyance at the implication.

"Was he saying something just now, ojii-san?" Akane wondered.

"Hai," Kaji translated, "He said just because you're clients doesn't mean he would hurt you if you weren't."

Nabiki frowned then asked, "What's a '_client_'?" She felt like she should know.

Akane blinked. 'I need to get her outta here!'

Kaji ignored them both and remarked to his friend, "You ARE a demon, after all. That brings certain connotations." The tentacle creature fumed.

"Hey, I'm a martial artist. I could've stopped him... it," Akane growled to Kaji. Mamoru shot the child a gesture that left nothing to the imagination; the younger girl just gaped at him bug-eyed.

"Behave, Mamoru-kun, we have small children about." Mamoru shrugged. Nabiki giggled.

"And who the hell are you?"

"Pardon my manners, Akane-chan. I'm Kaji and I believe you've already met Mamoru-kun," the old man replied and bowed. "As to handling him, I sincerely doubt it."

Akane stared at the old man for a moment before it registered. "K-Kaji... as in the demon Kaji who did this to me?"

"All according to contract I can assure you, shoujo-chan," the demon remarked with a jaunty smile, "So..." Before he could say anything more, Akane yelled and lunged at the arbiter who instantly vanished only to materialize behind her and tap her on the head as she flew by (as Ranma had done more than once). "Well, that took care of one item on my agenda." He concentrated for a moment. "Ah, that's better. I'm not wasting so much power now." He hadn't realized how much strain there had been on him until he'd ceased maintaining Akane's form.

Meanwhile, the young martial artist pivoted to press her attack again but as she did so, her whole center-of-balance shifted. Her arms extended, shooting downward rippling as hard-won muscle mass reappeared. Legs extended, elongating in such a way that tripped the rapidly aging Akane up making her crash onto the floor. Her long hair receded back to its normal short style. The trappings of womanhood reasserted themselves where there were none from the constraints of her former prepubescent form. Finally exposing the curves and the modest bosom of an athletic high school sophomore.

As the now sixteen year old Akane lay prone trying to gather her wits and formulate an attack plan at the same time, she heard Nabiki sing out, "I can see A-ka-ne's bu-um!" It took only a second for Akane to recognize the fact that not only was her naked bum exposed but even worse, she was no longer wearing anything. Every piece of clothing she had on had been shredded at the seams and fallen off due to her rapid seven year growth spurt. Shrieking in protest, she leapt to her feet and rounded on Kaji who was looking slightly amused.

"If you're looking for dating assistance, Akane-chan," the demon stated dryly. "I know a few people who might be interested."

"Nani?" the teen demanded from a combat stance. Her cheeks were flushed with anger and embarrassment as her aura flared. She was forced to forego modesty for the time being; this old man was too great a threat to drop her defenses. Nabiki was puzzled.

"You're a little young for my tastes though, Akane-chan," Kaji observed, looking thoroughly bored. He took a moment though to loiter over Akane's lithe body. He decided that he preferred Nabiki's teenage form to that of her younger sister's. But that was of no matter. "Hmmm... Mamoru-kun might be interested though, ne?"

The demon in question made a gesture that Akane couldn't fathom but was immediately insulted when the other demon commented, "True, Mamo-kun, you like Amazonian girls. Akane-chan here... Well... She doesn't have the _frontage_, relatively speaking, to fill a gnat's bra."

"NANI? Are you saying that that baka demon finds Shampoo more attractive than me?" She felt a strange mixture of embarrassment, disgust, and jealousy.

"Well, if the cup fits..." Kaji quipped in a bored sounding tone.

"What cup?" Nabiki interjected curiously, glancing between Kaji and Akane. Grownups were sure hard to fathom.

"Not something you need to worry about, Nabiki-chan," Kaji replied. "In the meantime..."

"**I'm gonna kill you, ojii!**" the enraged teenager yelled.

He waved his hand and Akane suddenly found herself dressed in a fetish version of her Furinkan High School uniform. The hemline was much higher (well up her thighs) and middle section was gone leaving her midriff and cute bellybutton fully exposed. Her hair was done up in pigtails tied with blue ribbons although now comically short compared to those she had sported as a child.

"There," Kaji announced sounding much more relieved, "That's much better. But it needs something..." He cocked his head, glanced at Nabiki, and waved downwards making Akane's hair grow rapidly until her black pigtails made a small coil on the floor. "Perfect."

"I said I'm gonna kill you!" Akane snarled, seemingly ignoring the outfit she now wore. With a shout of outrage, Akane rushed forward only to have the old man vanish again. She whirled about and gave a startled yelp as her long flowing pigtails wrapped themselves about her.

Nabiki just looked on in wide-eyed fascination. For several seconds, she stared open-mouthed at her much older sister sporting such ridiculous pigtails before the sight made her start to giggle. She tried, and failed, to stifle her giggles as the teen turned smoldering eyes onto her.

"As for you, young lady, out of those wet things." Kaji snapped his finger. Nabiki squeaked and then laughed delightedly as the little girl found herself in a frosted pink party dress with white mother-of-pearl ribbons holding up braided pigtails. "Kawaii..."

"Arigato, Kaji-sama. I love this dress and my pigtails look like Daddy's now," Nabiki beamed. Akane raised a fist to show her gratitude.

Kaji held up his hand. "Might I suggest, girls," he commented, "That we all sit down calmly and chat about this?"

"Kuso! There's nothing to talk about, ojii!" the cosplay schoolgirl shouted, "**Send us back NOW!**"

"**But I wanna stay, Onee-chan!**" Nabiki shouted, "I have to. Na-chan's gone!"

"Eh?"

The eight year old nodded solemnly. "Kaji-sama told me... I don't really get it 'n' I miss her lots but I gotta stay and BE her." Akane pulled a face that showed that she didn't care for that idea. "'Sides, I like being a little kid... And Ranma and Kasumi's musume. That's what I came to tell Kaji-sama."

"And have to put up with being punished like one?"

"Well..." the eight year old started and blushed slightly, "We were naughty, Onee-chan." Akane growled indignantly and turned her attention back to the demon who had since produced an armchair from somewhere. "Ne, Kaji-sama, can you put Akane-oneechan back? We gotta get back to bed before Mommy and Daddy find out." 'Akane's just too big now.' Also, why risk the upcoming sleepover Saturday with Minako and Ruri anymore than necessary.

"Gomen, Nabiki, but I don't want to stay a little girl!"

"But whyyyyyy?" the youngster whined. "We had lotsa fun together."

"Because **I'm gonna kill him!**" Akane roared and flung herself again, ridiculous pigtails and all, at the demon who vanished. She promptly tumbled over his chair and knocked it over giving them a flash of her animal print cotton panties.

"Think I should spank her, Nabiki-chan? She's been a naughty girl."

"Hai!"

"Hey!" the longhaired teen complained, "Who's side are you on?"

"Well, Onee-chan," Nabiki explained putting her hands on her hips like Kasumi, "You are acting very rude!" She nodded in agreement with herself. "Please make her my onee-chan again, Kaji-sama... Mommy and Daddy won't like her being so big."

"I can't, Nabiki-chan," Kaji said wearily. "Chibi-Akane isn't there."

"You mean she's gone like Na-chan, ne?" 'Poor Akane-oneechan.'

"Iie," Kaji sighed. "Nabiki-chan... Chibi-Akane was never inside Akane Tendo. Nabiki Saotome and Nabiki Tendo had ideas about what attributes constituted a good onee. When I first changed Akane to her younger form, I looked at what you two thought would make a good onee and mashed them together."

"Good. Just mash'm together again, Kaji-sama," Nabiki requested simply while demonstrating with her hands.

"I can't," he answered solemnly. "I wish I could but I can't because there's nothing there to use."

"That's sad, Kaji-sama," the youngster said softly and then brightened, "But you can make her small." 'She's still kinda fun.'

"Are you nuts!" Akane shouted, immediately regretted it as Nabiki's eyes welled up and she started to sniffle. "Look, Nabiki, gomen. I just meant I want me to be me and I want you as... you!" 'Kuso! That didn't make any sense.'

"But I am me," Nabiki reasoned.

"I could," the demon suggested mildly, "Make it so that it's like the first reality, Nabiki-chan."

"Nani?" was the teen's demand.

"Iie, I like **CHIBI**-Akane **WAY** better," the pigtailed child answered. "That other Akane's REALLY mean!" 'And she's too big to play with.'

"Why you..." Akane advanced on the little girl dragging her floor-length pigtails, which promptly caught on the overturned chair and started dragging it and her head back. "Would you get rid of these baka things?"

Kaji, an amused glint in his eye, gave a bored wave of his hand. Both pigtails vanished instead to be replaced by a pair of rabbit ears covered in soft white fur. They sprouted more than foot in length out of the top of Akane's head. Neither girl noticed the white cottontail poking out of her skirt just above her rump.

Eight year old Nabiki stared for a moment, struggled to keep her face straight for another instant, and then completely lost it. Akane's aura flared as her sister burst into gales of laughter.

"NA-BI-KI!" Akane shouted, started to run forward, and promptly overbalanced.

"Are you okay, Onee-chan?" Nabiki asked, a worried expression on her face.

"Do you know how much trouble you've caused me and Ranma?" _Bunny_ Akane asked while pushing herself up. The teenager moved towards over former older sister and glared.

"That's why I wanna stay, Akane-oneechan," Nabiki explained, not backing down even though she now barely stood to her provocatively dressed sister's waist. "I like having a daddy who doesn't cry all the time. Everyone likes Daddy, even Ryouga-oniichan. I like being able to be a nice girl. I like Na-chan and I like my friends at school and Kasumi is the bestest mommy!" 'You was my bestest onee.'

"AAAHHHRRRR!" the teen growled though clenched teeth, gripping her hair, only then realizing that there was something on her head. She felt the new protrusions. "**WHAT ARE THESE SUPPOSED TO BE?**" She squeezed them. "OUCH!"

"BUNNY EARS!" the little girl exclaimed happily, "Now you just need a pink nose and whiskers like Miko-chan!" 'Kawaii!'

"NABIKI!" Akane ground her teeth before yelling, "**I SPANKED BAKA RANMA, AND I SHOULD SPANK YOUR LITTLE BUTT TO KNOCK SOME SENSE INTO THAT BAKA HEAD!**"

"See... You always beat things up to get your way. You ain't no better than Naomi!" the child amended her thought about that. "Actually, sempai is better than you are."

"Gomen, Nabiki-chan. I don't think Akane knows who Naomi is," Kaji pointed out.

"Ojii! Keep out of this!" the anthropomorphic bunny girl snarled.

"Naomi is a bully at school, Akane," Nabiki elaborated softly. "She kept beating me... Na-chan up, but Na-chan still wanted to be her friend. Naomi-sempai might've been a bully but at least she has an excuse."

"Which is?" Kaji prompted, sounding interested.

"She doesn't know a better way, Kaji-sama. I just figure that Akane likes it. She FEELS good about hitting people and being mad all the time. If we stay, we can both grow up to be good girls." The eight year old squealed as Akane lifted her up and looked as if she was about to bring her hand down hard on Nabiki's butt when Kaji lifted his hand.

"Akane-chan, this is Nabiki's choice. I'll stop you if you try to harm your sister. There are worse things than rabbit ears." The teenager and demon locked eyes for a few seconds and then Akane gently dropped her sister to the floor and then moved to slump in a nearby chair, her new rabbit ears drooping.

"Onee-chan?" Nabiki asked. After a few seconds, she got up and hopped into Akane's lap, "Why are you so mad? We'll have lotsa fun together. I'll be the bestest imouto. I promise."

"Because, Nabiki, I don't want an imouto. I wanna go home! I don't want Ranma as my dad. I don't want Kasumi as my mom!"

"But they're great!" Nabiki countered.

"Hai, but they aren't really Mom and Dad. Kaji just made them that way. Our _real_ mom is dead and you seem to want to give that up! To dishonor her memory." The youngster didn't have any response to that accusation but Akane went on regardless. "Sure, Dad acts like a broken water main at the drop of the hat but he is _our_ father."

"But Ranma is the bestest daddy, Onee-chan, and I need to stay so I can be good and show him I can be good. When I was big, I was always mean to him." She couldn't understand the reason why anymore.

"BAKA! He doesn't know what you did before!" Akane raged, her ears sticking straight up, their fur bristling with their owners rage.

"That's good 'cause I'd be in BIG trouble then..." Nabiki remarked and nodded emphatically with herself. 'I'd get a spanking for sure. Na-chan wouldn't like that.'

"Look," the teenager argued, "I don't see why you want to waste your time growing up all over again. I'm the one that's stuck marrying Ranma. I have maybe two years of freedom left if I'm lucky. Kasumi has the house and Dad to look after. You're the free one."

"Free? I like to play and Ruri-chan and Minako-chan are my friends and you're a good onee," Nabiki stated firmly. This older Akane was definitely no fun. She then asked Kaji, "Kaji-sama, why can't you make Onee-chan small again?"

"It would take more energy than I have."

"So you could... later, ne Kaji-chan?"

"Un... I could but not for a long time, Nabiki-chan," Kaji conceded.

"That's okay I guess... I can wait."

"Nabiki-chan, in that case, make your choice." The youngster frowned. "Go back to being a teen, or stay a little girl and have Akane-chan as your oba like before."

Akane, tears forming in her eyes, said, "Our mother..." Her voice faded for a moment before coming back. "Look, Nabiki... Onee-chan, we have family obligations. People depend on us."

"Nani?" Akane kept using those big words.

"Are you losing your grip, Nabiki? I'm Ranma's fiancée. I have to marry Ranma!" 'There, I finally said it.'

"Why?"

"Our baka dad arranged it," Akane spat bitterly, "Family honor and all that crap." She began to rationalize. "I'm sure I'll learn to love Ranma in time and it looks like he'll be a good father. I'll need to be strong to take over the dojo. I'll tell Dad and Saotome-san the '_good news_' when we get back." 'They'll both be thrilled... Maybe Ukyo and that Chinese bimbo will stop harassing us.'

"That sounds boring, Onee-chan." A solution suddenly struck her. "If you stay, you won't have to marry Daddy, ne?" She squealed when Akane leapt from the chair she was in and with one mighty yell drove her fist through it. "Ne, Akane, whatcha do that for?" the little girl demanded.

"Because you're being baka!"

"Am not!" The eight year old retorted, 'I was only trying to help.'

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Kaji would you just make things NORMAL! She's in no condition to..."

"As I said, it's Nabiki's choice, _Usagi-chan_."

"I wanna stay!"

"With Akane as your sixteen year old oba?"

"Iie..."

"Well, that's the choice." The child pouted.

"But why?" Akane argued before her sister could agree to that constraint. "Nabiki, you said you wanted to stay to show Ranma how good a girl you can be, ne?" Nabiki nodded. "Well, how will he know if he already thinks you're a good girl?" The youngster opened her mouth, closed it, and then frowned. "Nabiki-oneechan, aren't you being selfish? Ranma didn't ask for this. Kasumi didn't ask for this. I know I didn't." Her ears drooped.

"You don't love Daddy!" Nabiki accused the teen.

"Iie, I don't love Ranma. I do love our real father, **SOUN TENDO**. I love my two onee, **KASUMI TENDO** and **NABIKI TENDO**. This is just a big fantasy that you want to stay in. It's not real. You're being selfish and you have no right to hurt others."

"I ain't hurting nobody!" Nabiki huffed, folding her arms and pouting. "Daddy says that you can't use martial arts to hurt nobody and you don't. I know I won't be as good as you but I can train real hard with you 'n' Daddy 'n' everybody!"

Akane frustrated, needing something to do, started to paced. Completely unnoticed by her, her rabbit ears started to twist together expressing her true agitation. "What about the dishonor you are doing to our real mother? To our family?"

"I love her in my heart," Nabiki answered but she was starting to look troubled.

"Another thing, you'll have to be heir to the _Saotome_ Dojo." Nabiki shrugged. "And I won't help you!" Akane threatened in frustration. She was annoyed when her sister gave her a dubious look. "And if I'm your oba, I'll spank you every chance I get."

"I'd like to see you try," Nabiki commented sarcastically while crossing her arms and sticking out her tongue. Would they let a bunny girl spank her? The teenager growled in frustration.

"Akane-chan," Kaji interjected softly, "If you want to spank her now, go right ahead."

"HEY!" the pigtailed youngster complained.

"You're being a rude and disrespectful little girl."

Nabiki pouted while grumbling, "Akane-baka-'neechan is being mean!"

Akane stood there fists clenched and quivering all over. To her credit, she didn't even consider acting on Kaji's offer. Instead the teenager asked, "Why can't you see that this is all a lie?" The little girl suddenly looked troubled. Taking a few breaths, Akane paced. "Nabiki, you want to make up for what you did, ne?"

"Un," Nabiki agreed, still looking troubled.

"Well, how can you do that if nobody knows what you did to them, ne?"

"Aren't you repeating yourself, Akane-chan?" Kaji asked. Akane shot him a venomous look.

"I'd know," Nabiki stated, although she didn't feel as confident as she sounded. 'I think.'

"Are you sure?" Akane asked.

"Well, I would!" the eight year old almost pleaded.

"That's not very honest of you though. You've already almost forgotten Mama... our mother." Nabiki squirmed and looked down. Akane sighed. She walked over and knelt by her sister her ears stood straight up. "Nabiki-oneechan." She waited until Nabiki regarded her. "If you can tell me just one real, honest unselfish reason why you want to stay, why WE should stay, I'll be okay with that."

"I like to play," Nabiki answered in a hopeful tone.

"Na-bi-ki, _that_ was selfish, and Miko-chan and Niko-chan wouldn't like that, ne?" Kaji interjected quietly. His former business partner frowned. "Be fair... Akane has asked you a very honest question. I think if you're going to MAKE her be your mean oba, you should come up with something pretty good."

Nabiki's expression took on a sulky air and she pouted at them both. "That pout might work on Mom 'n' Dad but it won't work on me, NIECE," the teen began. "In fact, if you choose to stay, you better hope it works 'cause when they find out you snuck out of the house in the middle of a snowstorm, they're gonna take the hide off of you in little strips!" Nabiki appeared worried now. "Didn't think of that, ne baby?"

"Hey, I ain't a baby, I'm eight!"

"Not really, you look more like five," Akane argued. 'And acting like it too.' "What about this, Onee-chan. We go back to normal and I hunt you up some of those age-changing mushrooms. You can use it to be little again... for a while. That way, Ranma will know you're making an honest effort to be a good little girl and you're not forcing people to do things they really aren't meant to do." The youngster frowned, apparently mulling it over. "Nabiki, being honorable is probably the hardest thing anyone can do and part of that is being honest with yourself."

"Nani?" Nabiki asked, completely puzzled now.

Kaji got down beside Nabiki and gave the little girl a long look. "I think, what Akane is trying to say is that you need to ask yourself what Na-chan would do? What would Miko-chan and Niko-chan do?" The youngster opened her mouth but nothing came out. She closed it, frowned, opened it again, and then closed it looking frustrated. Nabiki meandered about looking at the different items in the shop. Passing by a full-length mirror, she paused and regarded the small pigtailed child reflected in it.

"Kaji-sama," Nabiki asked, turning to the demonic arbiter, "If I go back to bein' a big girl and stuff and I wanna come back..."

"Gomen nasai, little one," Kaji answered, "One per customer."

Akane frowned. 'That wasn't what he said before.' Pushing that to the side, she sighed, "Please, Nabiki-oneechan? For me? For Ranma? For all of us?" Nabiki was starting to look miserable now. "You had Akane-chan get the mirror so you could go. You knew it was time to leave then, ne?"

"But Na-chan..."

"Listen for her, little business partner, listen for her because Na-chan is with you. You just have to listen hard enough."

There was a long drawn out silence and then Nabiki let her head droop in acquiescence. She took a great shuddering breath and said softly, "I guess..." She looked up at Akane with tears in her eyes. "I... I guess it's time we went home, Imouto. To our real home... The '_Ice Queen_' needs to melt." 'Gomen nasai, Na-chan.' The little girl began to cry and Akane, for once not caring what others thought, wrapped her arms about Nabiki and hugged her as her older sister for the last time.

_End of Chapter 11_

Coming next in _**Chapter 12 - Homecoming**_

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	12. Chapter 12 Homecoming

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "_Innocence of Mine_" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com domain. Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Chapter 12 - Homecoming**

**A** gentle tapping on her door awakened Nabiki Tendo that morning. She wrinkled her nose slightly and shifted while pulling the thick blankets up over her head. "Too early," she grumbled to the unseen person on the other side of the door.

"Nabiki, I know school's closed today because of the weather but if you want breakfast, you'll have to get up and get dressed now." It was just a courtesy. Kasumi fully expected her sister to sleep in.

Nabiki bolted upright instantly shivering in the chilly air of her bedroom. 'School closed?' she thought muddily for a moment and then a large grin spread across her face as the news registered. 'School's closed! Sugoi! I can play all day! Maybe Mommy will let Minako-chan and Ruri-chan come over.' She bounced a few times in glee, feeling oddly off-balance, and then she flung herself out of bed to go and help wake Akane up, only to land hard on the floor as her ankles twisted together. "Owie... owie, owie, owie..." Nabiki moaned. Then pushing herself up, she gave the floor a rather hard punch. "Baka! Why'd you jump in front of me?" She then stuck her tongue out at it.

As she sat there pouting on the floor, she felt something was amiss. Everything in her room seemed smaller. It was then that Nabiki noticed that her hand was larger than it should've been. Her eyes grew wider as her other hand came into view. She wriggled her fingers and giggled. Her gaze traveled to her bare feet. Where were her bunny-footed pajama bottoms? Another thing, the familiar tickle of her long brunette hair on her back was missing. She felt for her hair. Why was it cut so short? She knew she would have a hard time making pigtails with it like this. Deciding to forge ahead, she stood up, feeling quite funny and off-kilter. She looked down and gazed in amazement at her long slender legs and shapely thighs. Apparently, all her night clothing consisted of was a pair of panties and a navy blue T-shirt with the word "China" stretched across its front.

'Whose is this?' It wasn't hers or Akane's. It seemed to be more styled for a boy than a girl. It suddenly occurred to her, "It's Daddy's!" She giggled and hugged herself pleased that she'd figured it out on her own.

The giggle was cut short however, when she felt something jiggle. "Nani?" It took a few seconds of pushing and prodding before she worked up the nerve to peek inside the neck of her shirt. "**BOOBIES!**" Nabiki whooped in delight. It was then she knew for sure. "I'm all grown-up!"

She started prancing about her room only to trip and fall again. "Owie..." Grumbling, the young woman frowned for a moment before a new thought entered her head. 'I bet I'm bigger than she is now. Akane-chan's gonna be SOOO jealous!'

Opening the door, Nabiki rushed out of her room careful to mind her footing, and skipped into her sister's room. Akane was lying flat on her back, arms flung wide, and snoring heavily.

'Lucky! Onee-chan's still asleep.' "Akane-oneechan!" Nabiki greeted, "Ne! Onee-chan!"

"Uerm..."

"Ne, AK-A-NE!"

"Go away!" Akane grumbled.

The seventeen year old hopped onto her sister's bed and started bouncing while saying, "Get up! Get up! Get up!"

"Nabiki, get lost..." The youngest Tendo sister opened one eye to glare balefully at her early morning tormentor. Almost immediately, Akane sat up and stared at her. "Nabiki, what are you doing wearing Ranma's shirt?"

"Aww... You're big too, Onee-chan," Nabiki pouted dejectedly. Akane, however, was ignoring the teen; she was much more interested in what her sister was wearing.

"I said **WHY ARE YOU WEARING RANMA'S SHIRT?**" Akane demanded at considerable volume.

"'Cause I'm special!" she giggled. "Daddy..." Nabiki trailed off. The sight of fur-covered bunny ears jetting from Akane's head interrupted her. Nabiki's mind registered the fact that the events of last night must have really happened. She was back to being Nabiki Tendo, seventeen year old middle sister, as she requested. 'I'm home, Na-chan...' Before she could comment further, Akane gave a battle cry, leapt from her bed, and rushed from the room in her pajamas, completely unaware that her bunny ears had vanished during the process.

Nabiki stood staring after her sister for a moment, and then a panicked expression crossed her face. 'Darn! She's gonna tattle on me!' The thought of what her parents would do if they found out she'd snuck out of the house wasn't pleasant.

"**A-KA-NE!**" Nabiki shouted and chased after her sister. She was still unsteady on her feet and didn't fancy on running down the stairs. On the other hand, she had little choice. She couldn't risk letting Akane tell on her so the teenager flung her right leg over the banister and slid down the stairs.

# # # # #

"Akane," Ranma Saotome exclaimed desperately while backing into a corner, "What are ya talkin' about?" His fiancée had chased him from the dojo into the house.

"Your shirt!" Akane shouted glowering at her wayward fiancé, "My ONEE is wearing YOUR shirt!"

"Uh... It'd be kinda big on you, ne Akane?"

"What do you mean by THAT, PERVERT?"

"I'm a guy," the sixteen year old martial artist answered smoothly.

Akane glowered. "That's not the point, Ranma. Why is Nabiki wearing it?"

The younger Saotome shrugged. "Why does Nabiki do anything? Probably gonna blackmail me again or something." Soun and Genma in his panda form, who had both been hiding from Akane's wrath, peered around the doorway to see what the delay in today's explosion was. By and large, the youngest Tendo had booted Ranma out of the house by this point.

"A-KA-NE!" came Nabiki's desperately pleading voice from the next room, "DON'T BE SO MEAN!"

"Eh?" Soun asked his longtime friend. Genma-panda just shrugged.

"Nabiki?" Ranma asked while turning towards the sound. The next instant, he blinked as Nabiki flew into the room and promptly tackled Akane who went down in a tangle of arms and legs.

"Nabiki, what are you doing?" Akane demanded, pushing the girl off.

The middle sister for her part immediately bounced to her feet and launched herself at Ranma who was starting to look much as he usually did when Shampoo glommed onto him. "Akane-oneechan's being mean!" Nabiki cried.

"Hey! Just wait a min..." Ranma started to complain.

Meanwhile, Nabiki had wrapped her arms affectionately about Ranma's neck and was doing a fairly good job of hanging off of him. "I didn't do nothing wrong, Daddy!" Nabiki protested.

"Uh... okay..." Ranma agreed uneasily.

"Daddy? What are you up to, Nabiki?" Akane demanded apprehensively, her aura flaring.

"Nothing, Akane-chan," the scantily-clad teenager remarked innocently, "'Cause I'm a good girl." She hoped that Akane had decided not to tattle.

"Yeah right, and I'm Empress of Japan," her sister scoffed.

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"Am too! Am too!" Nabiki shouted.

"Minna, breakfast is ready!" Kasumi called at this point, "We should all settle down and eat while it's hot."

"Yeah!" Nabiki cheered. She let go of Ranma so forcefully he staggered and slumped to the floor. He and Akane watched in bewilderment as Nabiki ran around the table and gave Kasumi a large hug. "You look really pretty today."

"Arigato. I thought you would sleep in, Nabiki-chan," Kasumi commented to her younger sister.

"Not with school closed, Mommy," the middle sister gushed. "'Sides, I can't miss Miko-chan and Niko-chan." As if that reminded her, Nabiki ran over to the television and turned it on, rapidly flipping through the channels and completely oblivious to the family who was staring after her.

"Miko-chan and...? What's she up to, Ranma?" Akane asked Ranma suspiciously in a whisper.

"Not a clue," he whispered back. He watched the middle Tendo sister nervously.

"Nabiki? Are you okay?"

"Hai!" Nabiki squeaked and settled back at the table, intently watching the television.

"Why did you tackle me, Onee-chan?" Akane asked.

"Shhh... Miko-chan is on."

"So Nabiki," Soun began, settling down on the opposite side of the table, "What are you planning to do today?"

"I'm watchin' TV!" his daughter whined while throwing him a death level glare.

"Oh... Gomen," Soun mumbled and then promptly burst into tears.

# # # # #

Kasumi sat quietly eating breakfast but watching with mounting concern as Ranma grew more agitated. This was puzzling to the eldest Tendo daughter because normally she could see what was agitating the young martial artist. At first, she had thought it was Nabiki but she quickly dismissed that idea; her sister was not only being energetic this morning but very pleasant, not normally a combination Nabiki was known for, especially in the early morning hours.

She sighed internally as the more likely source of the aggravation came to mind. Akane was being hostile both to Nabiki, which seemed to be distressing Nabiki, and Ranma, more than usual. Nabiki was certainly acting strange, almost childish, but why it was provoking Akane to such an extent, Kasumi didn't know. Apparently, Akane believed Nabiki's odd behavior was being caused by Ranma, which was unfair.

The eldest Tendo daughter was distracted from her thoughts when Ranma asked her, "Ne, Kasumi, where's the _old fart_?"

"Happosai-ojiisan said he needed to leave today."

"That's right, Ranma," Genma chimed in, "The master mentioned something about returning something to a cave. Something he hadn't meant to bring back."

"Shucks!" Nabiki exclaimed. "I wanted Ojii-sama to play with me."

Akane and Ranma turned to stare at Nabiki in surprise. "You did?"

"Hai, Onee-chan, with all this snow, we could make snow angels..." She giggled. With Happosai gone, she even more hoped that Minako and Ruri could come over to join them.

"Happosai is definitely NOT an angel," her sister disagreed. 'Kuso! What's with this '_onee-chan_' bit?' Why hadn't Nabiki revealed the real reason for this charade?

"Ojii-sama's very nice," Nabiki retorted. "Be nice, Akane-chan, or I'll tell him you was bein' mean to me."

"You only _think_ he's nice because he doesn't grope your breasts every chance he gets!" Akane shot back.

"Nani? What's a piece of chicken got to do with Ojii-sama?"

Genma (still in panda form) and Soun raised their eyebrows, both internally applauded Nabiki's strategy. They couldn't figure out what her primary goal was but she was certainly being sneaky about it. Their progeny were knocked completely off-balance by Nabiki's little girl act.

"Kami-sama, Nabiki, I wasn't talking about chicken!" the youngest Tendo sputtered. "I was talking about these!" She thumped her chest.

Nabiki gave her sister a deeply quizzical look. "I don't think so, Onee-chan." 'Ojii-sama wouldn't do that.'

"Well, I was!"

"Nope!" Nabiki huffed while turning back to her scrambled eggs.

"**I WAS SO!**" Akane shouted, "I WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT HENTAI HAPPOSAI GROPING MY BREASTS!" 'What's wrong with her?'

Nabiki rolled her eyes, dropped her spoon, and commanded, "Wait here," With that, she got up and left the room. The group waited in silence for about a minute. When Nabiki came back into the room, she had a package of chicken with her and said carefully to Akane, as if she were a grade-schooler, "See, silly, it says right here **CHICKEN** breasts." She set the poultry onto the table, grabbed the hem of her T-shirt, and hiked it up. "THESE are boobies."

Soun, who had been drinking juice at this point, spewed it, hitting Ranma in the process.

"Oh yuck!" Ranma now in girl form groused. "Man, Tendo-san, now I'll have to wash this shirt and I just put it on."

"I'll do it, Daddy!" Nabiki offered, thankfully letting her T-shirt hem fall back down over her hips.

"Don't worry about the baka shirt!" Akane shouted at Ranma-chan, "Worry about the fact that my onee has completely lost it!"

The busty redhead dropped her hands from the front of her shirt, regarded Akane, and stated, "You're just jealous, Akane, 'cause she's... I mean WE'VE got something to flaunt." She stuck out her pin-up chest to emphasize her point. Nabiki watched in horror as Akane slammed Ranma-chan through the wall. Suddenly her face crumpled as she burst into tears and ran from the room.

"Oh my..." Kasumi said to nobody in particular. Getting up, she left the room following after her distraught sister.

# # # # #

Kasumi left the living room, sighing internally, and wandered towards the stairs. 'Why does Akane have to cause so much trouble?' the coed mused to herself, 'It would be nice to have a halfway normal family meal for once.' She sighed as a particularly large crash sounded from the living room. 'And why is she going on about Nabiki?'

Said Tendo sister was sitting on the steps sniffling and looking very unhappy. "Nabiki-chan, are you okay?"

"Why does Akane have to be such a bully?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well... She hits Da... Ranma-san all the time. It ain't fair."

"I don't think she does it ALL the time, Nabiki-chan," Kasumi soothed.

"She shouldn't do it at all, Mommy."

"Why don't you go and get dressed?" Kasumi suggested. "I'm going to go check to see if Otou-san needs anything else." Nabiki gave a sad sort of nod and wandered upstairs. Her sister stood there watching her go and feeling slightly worried.

When she came back into the family room, Akane was saying, "...Don't get what she's up to... I mean this is really weird. She was perfectly fine yesterday."

"Akane-chan, why do you think Nabiki is up to anything?" Kasumi asked naively.

Akane gave her a look that said Kasumi was missing something. "Come on, 'Nee-chan, she's actin' like a little kid! Next, she'll want to play with dolls, or help you bake cookies."

Kasumi cast a look at Ranma (back in boy form) who was nursing his face and then remarked to Akane quietly, "Sometimes, Imouto, _you_ act like a three year old." With that, she turned and left the room. 'Maybe Nabiki _would_ like to help me bake cookies.'

Mounting the stairs, Kasumi paused at the top. She cocked her head to the side and then felt her stomach knot slightly - someone was crying. Hurrying down the hallway, she eventually came to Nabiki's room. She observed the seventeen year old sitting on the floor looking exceptionally unhappy, tears running down her cheeks, and her nose red. She still had not gotten dressed.

"Nabiki-chan!" Kasumi exclaimed in alarm.

Nabiki's head came up. The young woman stared at her for a moment before Nabiki gave out a strangled cry, launched herself at her sister and flung her arms about her. "Mommy!" Nabiki wailed; her crying increasing in volume.

"Nabiki-chan, Okaa-san is dead."

"I know!" came the heart-rending reply, "And I want Mommy back!" Kasumi wrapped her arms about Nabiki and held her sister close.

"I want her back too," Kasumi admitted. Stroking the teenager's hair, she continued gently, "You need to calm down, Nabiki-chan, or you'll make yourself sick. You wouldn't want Akane mad at you." The other girl shook her head and tightened her hug, clinging to Kasumi as if a great storm was raging about her.

'You can't cry!' the nineteen year old caretaker told herself sternly, 'You need to see to Otou-san and the Saotomes. What would Daddy think if he found me and Nabiki bawling about Okaa-san?' "Now," she said gently pushing the tearful teen away, "Nabiki-chan, go lay down on your bed. Maybe I can have Tofu-sensei come over and see you."

"He'll never make it, Mom-Onee-chan," Nabiki stated gloomily, staring at the snow-covered ground outside.

"Nonsense, he's not that far away and I'm sure he'll try his best. The snow is already letting up."

"That's not what I meant," the teen interjected, shaking her head slowly, sadly, it seemed. "He'll take one look at you, or hear your voice, and go completely goofy and won't come around for a long, long time. He'll probably grab Betty-chan (AKA Tofu's office skeleton) and start dancing through the snow."

Kasumi stared at her younger sister. "Nani?"

Nabiki, who by this point was looking thoroughly miserable, gave Kasumi a pitying look and stated. "Tofu-sensei REALLY REALLY LIKES YOU LOTS."

"That can't be, Nabiki!" Kasumi gasped, raising a hand to her mouth, eyes widening slightly. The good doctor was handsome (for an "_older_" man) and a friend of the family but nothing more.

"Is so, Mommy," Nabiki assured her, a smile flicking across her lips. "When he hears your name, his glasses steam up and he gets all jumpy and weird. If you're in the same room or touch him or anything, he zones completely out."

"Tofu-sensei loves..." 'Could it be true?'

"I ain't fibbing. Tofu-sensei likes you BIG time, Mommy."

"I'm not Okaa-san," Kasumi corrected gently, worry marring her features. Something was seriously wrong with her sister. This was no ruse.

"I know, 'Sumi-'neechan," Nabiki admitted softly. She hugged the coed again, pressing her face against Kasumi's bosom drawing warmth and comfort, and continued, "But when Okaa-san died, you took care of us all... And nobody ever took care of you."

'Arigato... But why is she suddenly bringing all this up?' "Na-chan," she began using her sister's old nickname, "Lay back down and I'll ask Daddy to call Tofu-sensei then."

"I'll just clean up first, Mommy." The teenager then gave Kasumi a peck on the cheek and skipped out of the room leaving the eldest Tendo daughter feeling confused and sad. And as Nabiki's footsteps faded away in the distance, a single tear rolled down Kasumi's cheek.

# # # # #

A short time later, Dr. Tofu Ono was the front door of the Tendo residence carrying his medical bag. When the door opened, he was disappointed to see Akane, looking upset, in front of him.

"Ka-Kasumi called m-me, A-Akane-san," Tofu stuttered, his glasses were beginning to steam up.

"She's upstairs with Nabiki, Tofu-sensei," Akane indicated. She then gave him an odd look. "Will you be okay with Kasumi-onee in the room?"

"She is family after all," the physician assured her. He removed his snow boots, put on a pair of guest slippers, and heading towards the stairs.

"Hiya Doc," Ranma greeted coming out into the hallway. "Hope ya can figure out what's got Nabiki all in a twist. I ain't never seen her like this."

"I should be able to, Saotome-kun," Tofu replied and headed up the stairs. He froze at the top when he saw Kasumi Tendo waiting for him. Much to his distress, he could feel that cloud of giddy anticipation descending over him. He then regarded the nineteen year old's face. Her normally tranquil, beautiful features were marred by worry. There was also a steely edge about her. Something that made the fog vanish.

Tofu moved forward. "Ohayo Kasumi-san."

"Ohayo, Sensei," Kasumi greeted. "I'm glad you came over. Nabiki is acting quite strange."

"Oh?"

"Would you like to examine her first or ask me questions?"

Tofu gulped and after a brief moment decided, "Examine her first."

"She wants me with her, Sensei, if that's all right," Kasumi told him. He nodded. She turned to lead the way into Nabiki's room. Dr. Tofu followed closely behind her.

# # # # #

Later, Dr. Tofu Ono entered the living room of the Tendo residence having completed his examination of Nabiki Tendo. He regarded the gathered people there, suppressing mild disappointment at the lack of Kasumi's company. She had decided to remain with Nabiki, who had stridently demanded a lollipop for being a good girl during his visit.

"How is she, Sensei?" Soun asked. The patriarch of the Tendo Family was holding up remarkably well under the circumstances.

"Minna, Nabiki was a little upset so I gave her a mild sedative. She's resting quietly upstairs. Physically, she is fine." Here the young physician paused. "I'm not a specialist on mental health issues." He was disappointed to note the blank look on both Saotome's faces. He was also surprised to see Soun's expression of worried understanding. "From what I have gleaned, Nabiki is finally starting to deal with her suppressed emotions over the death of her mother."

"After all this time?"

"Is that why she's acting like a little kid?" Akane questioned.

"Hai, Akane-san," Tofu nodded.

Genma-panda held up a sign that read, "Did Cologne do anything?" The others blinked at him. When they continued to stare, the sign was flipped over showing, "Nani?"

"I don't think Shampoo was here, Pop," Ranma answered. "I would've known... And that old hag wouldn't've come here alone." He grimaced. "Mousse maybe but I can't see an angle on why he'd go after Nabiki. Besides, potions ain't his style."

"Ranma's correct. It's very unlikely that a potion could be the catalyst. Nabiki's aura is balanced." Better than normal for her, he wanted to tell them. "Potions and other similar substances tend to alter the flow of energy within the body. I also did not find any evidence of pressure point usage. Bodily, Nabiki is a perfectly healthy seventeen year old adolescent girl."

"Is my musume in any danger, Sensei?" Soun asked with a worried look on his face.

Tofu paused, completely flummoxed by the fact that the eldest Tendo had not yet burst into tears. "As I said, Tendo-san, I'm not a specialist in this area but temporary regression is not unheard in such cases as a coping mechanism. I think that as Nabiki works through her feelings though, she'll..." He searched for the right word. "She'll begin to come back to what we think of as the normal Nabiki. Some things might change for the better though."

"Oh..." Ranma piped in, a hopeful expression coming onto his face. He turned to his father. "SEE, ojii, even Nabiki misses her mom." The elder Saotome had the good sense to cower back from his son.

"But why did this happen now?" Akane asked, sounding dubious.

"I can't answer that right now," Tofu commented, "At the moment, Nabiki knows she's seventeen but behaviorally she acts much younger - perhaps seven or eight." He considered for a moment. "In my opinion, normal grief counseling is not an option as things stand now. The main difficulty will be if her regression into a little girl persists. In that unlikely eventuality, we'd have no choice but to seek more qualified professional help."

"Is there anything we can do, Sensei?"

"Be understanding, minna," the doctor indicated, "As I said, Nabiki's mental age is much younger. I'm going to excuse her from school for the next few days. I don't think she could cope with the coursework or the social stress of high school."

"She's a pretty smart cookie, Doc," Ranma interjected, earning a glare form Akane.

"True, but Nabiki thinks she's in Class 2-2 at _Oizumi Elementary School_," Tofu admitted.

'Poor Nabiki-oneechan...' "Sensei, will this happen to me someday too?" Akane asked, a distasteful look coming across her face.

"I don't think so, Akane-san," Tofu commented. "You handled your grief differently, ne Tendo-san?"

"Quite true, Sensei... Nabiki never cried. She hardened herself. I knew somewhere inside she did... Akane, on the other hand, got rather... um..." Here Soun paused.

"Uncute?" Ranma supplied.

"Baka!" Akane shouted and slammed her fist into his cheek, which sent him flying.

"That," Soun finished off inclining his head towards his youngest daughter. "I wish I could've done more for my musume back then." Tears began streaming from his eyes.

"I see... Well," Tofu explained, "Home care and being around those Nabiki loves is likely the best treatment for her. If she doesn't show any signs of improvement within a few days, I'll arrange for her to be admitted to the University Hospital. In the meantime, I'll consult with a mental health specialist. Tendo-san, please bring her by the clinic tomorrow afternoon." Dr. Tofu smiled slightly. "I better make sure my supply of sweets is full."

"Why?" Soun asked, puzzled.

"I'll owe the young lady TWO lollipops, Tendo-san, and given how kawaii Nabiki... or should I say _Na-chan_ is acting, she might sweet-talk me out of a few extra." He smiled and winked.

# # # # #

Akane followed Ranma out to the dojo after Dr. Tofu returned to his clinic. She stood just inside the door puzzled as Ranma took up a meditative position in the middle of the floor before closing his eyes.

"What are you doing, Ranma?" she finally asked him after a couple of minutes.

"Thinking," Ranma answered without looking at her.

"With what?" was Akane's reply. Ranma cracked open one eye to glare at her. She stuck her tongue out at him. She was a little annoyed when Ranma closed his eye but nothing else. "What are you thinking about, pervert? My panties?" His only response was to grimace. She pointed at him. "Well, buster, you better not be thinking of gettin' back at Nabiki!"

Ranma came to his feet in one graceful motion and glowered at his fiancée. "Akane, why do ya think I'm planning anything?"

"Because it would be just like you!" Akane flared. "You're always going on about how bad Nabiki-onee treats you, and now this is the perfect opportunity!"

"I wouldn't recommend taking that opportunity either," announced a new voice from behind Akane. Akane yelped and jumped further into the dojo. She was startled to see Kasumi standing in the doorway hands on her hips looking determined. The nineteen year old Tendo sister then stepped into the dojo and closed the door behind her. "I want to talk with both of you."

"Ne, Kasumi-chan, how's Nabiki-onee?" Akane asked.

"Sleeping... Otou-san is watching her while I speak with you two." Akane glanced at Ranma with worry. It has been many years since she'd heard her sister sounding so stern.

"Nabiki is very vulnerable at the moment. It's our duty as family to protect and nurture her." Kasumi's gaze cut through both Akane and Ranma.

"He's not related to us, Onee-chan," Akane grumbled in a tone that said she wasn't sure what she would do if Ranma were related to her. "And I doubt Nabiki needs any protection. Most of us are scared of her now as it is."

"Akane-chan, that's not nice," Kasumi scolded. "Nabiki's going through a rough time." The eldest Tendo daughter then gave Ranma a long look. "Ranma-kun, I know that Nabiki has never been close to you, but I think for the next few days at least she is going to be looking to you for guidance."

"HIM?" Akane asked, looking wildly between her sister and Ranma, "Why?"

"Because, Imouto-chan," Kasumi coyly replied, "She's sees Ranma as a father figure."

_End of Chapter 12_

Coming next in **Chapter 13 - **_**Bubbles**_** of Feeling**

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	13. Chapter 13 Bubbles of Feeling

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "_Innocence of Mine_" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com domain. Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Chapter 13 - _Bubbles _of Feeling**

"**A** **father figure?**" Akane questioned, disbelief showing in every word, "Him?" She jabbed her thumb towards Ranma and gave a snort.

Ranma opened his mouth to protest but Kasumi beat him to it. "I don't understand, Akane-chan. Why don't you think that Ranma-kun is a father figure?"

"Because, Kasumi-chan, look at the example he's got. And besides, he's the wrong gender half the time."

"That ain't my fault!" he complained.

Akane snorted again. "True, it's your dad's! He's the baka who dragged you off to Jusenkyo and didn't have the good sense to listen to what the guide was telling him." As the pigtailed martial artist started to build a response, his supposed fiancée continued her rant, "You likely wouldn't even qualify as a good MOTHER figure given your mother agreed to a seppuku agreement." Ranma stiffened.

"**That's enough, Akane!**" Kasumi barked sharply.

"You can't seriously think this is all normal for Nabiki!" Akane shouted back. Her aura was flaring. "Ranma never had normal parents and now Nabiki of all people... NABIKI who uses Ranma as fodder for her schemes, sees him as a father figure?"

Kasumi gave her younger sister a disappointed look. "I agree that Ranma-kun does have certain qualities which are not conducive to good childrearing." She paused as Akane snorted again. "But he does have several that are good father qualities. I see them, Imouto-chan, and I think Nabiki is seeing them too." 'Maybe this will do them both some good.'

"What are you talking about, Kasumi? He's nothing like Dad!"

"He's nothing like Saotome-ojisan either."

Ranma, bewildered, watched as sweet, innocent Kasumi bowed to them both and left the dojo. After a minute or so, he asked, "Hey Akane, what just happened?" Akane's answer was to hit him with her mallet.

# # # # #

Nabiki groaned a little as she struggled her way to wakefulness. She felt as if she were fighting against a soggy heavy blanket. When her eyes finally did open, she found that her room was dimly lit by a single lamp and that her father, Soun, was looking down at her.

"You okay, Nabiki?" he asked her. She yawned. Smiling, her father brushed a few wisps of hair away from her forehead. "Did you sleep okay, Musume?"

"Hai..." Nabiki nodded and then pushed herself up. "What time is it, Daddy?" She rubbed her eyes.

"Nearly four."

Nabiki shifted about so she could hug him. He hugged her back. Then he sat next to her with his arm around her and her head resting on his shoulders for some minutes quietly listening to the wind outside. It didn't seem so loud now but still whistled and rushed about the house as if playing tag. Soun reveled in affection his daughter hadn't shown him in many years.

The pair only broke apart when the door opened and Kasumi guided into the room. "How are you feeling, Nabiki-chan?" She shrugged, not knowing how she felt until her father supplied, "I think a little sad, ne Nabiki-chan?" She nodded feeling tears starting to well up in her eyes. She blinked them back and tried to smile.

"Would you like to help me with supper, Na-chan?" Nabiki nodded. "Well, in that case, get dressed, and come downstairs."

"HAI!" Nabiki declared, now feeling happy and excited.

A short time later, Nabiki skipped down the stairs, humming to herself. She smiled as she saw Akane come into the hall. "Onee-chan!" she called out, jumping down the last of the stairs so she could hug her sister.

"I wish you'd stop that, Nabiki. I'm younger than you are," Akane said in a flat sort of voice. The seventeen year old girl let go of her sister and backed off, a pained look on her face. "Ne, what's with those pigtails?" Akane asked.

"I like 'em, Onee... Akane-chan."

"They look baka," Akane mocked and brushed past her sister. Her sister's hair was just too short for any type of a proper pigtail. They looked like an attempt on a toddler. The pink ribbons tying them only added to the ridiculous effect.

Nabiki briefly considered crying but suppressed the urge. Instead, she asked, "Ne, did you apologize to Ranma-san?"

"Why would I wanna do that?"

"'Cause you was mean to him." 'I was too,' she thought sadly.

"He's a jerk!" Akane shouted.

"Is not," Nabiki argued.

"He's a perverted jerk!"

Nabiki scowled then said, "I'm tellin'!" She didn't know what "_perverted_" meant but it must be a bad word. Instead of apologizing though, Akane just shrugged and continued up the stairs. She hoped Akane was fibbing. Still, it wasn't very nice. Fuming, she made her way to the kitchen where she found Kasumi and, much to her delight, Ranma.

"Ranma-san!" she squealed happily. She ran over and hugged him.

"Hey Nabiki," Ranma replied, sounding odd. He hugged her back half-heartedly and dropped his arms back down.

"Did Akane-chan apologize to you?" When Ranma shook his head, the teenager continued with a very sincere tone, "I think you need to give her a good spankin'." She nodded in agreement with herself. That seemed to be the only thing that worked on her Akane. Too bad that Kaji wouldn't let her exchange _Akane-oneechan_ for this one.

Ranma only boggled but Kasumi giggled. "Na-chan, come and help me." Nabiki let go of Ranma and gave her sister a big smile. "Ranma-kun, supper will be ready in a little while." The pigtailed youth took the hint and left the kitchen.

When he was gone, Nabiki turned to her sister. "Ne, Onee-san, I wanna make somethin' extra special for Ranma-san."

"Why?"

"I need to apologize." Nabiki giggled as Kasumi rumpled her hair.

"When did you start wearing pigtails, Na-chan?" They looked comical but she wasn't about to insult her sister.

"I always did, Onee-san... They were just invisible." Kasumi wasn't quite sure how to respond to this. Maybe she could help Nabiki do a better job on them later.

# # # # #

Genma Saotome, for a change not in his panda form, sat brooding over supper. Ranma had been blunt just before it - the next time Nodoka showed, he fully intended to greet her as his mother. He would accept the risk that his mother might force him to commit seppuku for not being a "_man's man_". Ranma had hinted that his father's options were limited: either to go live alone in the wild as a panda or face his wife.

Neither one was appealing.

Of course, Genma blamed it all on Nabiki. Had that been her plan all along? He just didn't know what to do about it. Kasumi was showing protectiveness that the martial artist expected from a mother lioness and his lifelong friend Soun hadn't cried as much as Genma thought he should have given the situation.

Moreover, he could not find any weakness in Nabiki's act, nor understand why she would be acting that way if it were only meant as a deception. Of course, Dr. Tofu had told them the reasons but Genma had his doubts; this was Nabiki Tendo after all. Was the Nodoka threat just a coincidence? Now as he sat at his friend's table eating supper, he watched Nabiki interact with his son, who was looking uncertain. She was anything but the cocky calculating young woman that he'd grown accustomed to.

'_Women hinder the man_,' Genma thought, 'That's why I took Ranma away. Soun is blinded by his love.' He regarded Akane who was looking angry (as usual). 'She's the only one of the lot whose worth spit to marry Ranma. 'Though I would prefer it to be Kasumi. Akane can't cook and is too violent. Nabiki would have had the financial sense but she's too headstrong. She'd throw me out on my butt the first chance she got.' Genma blinked. "You're going to marry Ranma!" he blurted out, meaning Akane but staring at Nabiki.

All of them gaped at him. There was several awkward seconds of dead silence and then Nabiki dropped her chopsticks, wrapped her arms about Ranma, and squealed, "**HAI!**" 'Arigato Saotome-ojisan!'

"NANI?" Akane and Ranma demanded simultaneously. Soun, having saved up so much liquid, burst into a flood of tears.

'Kawaii.' "All little girls want to marry their father at one time or another," Kasumi commented nonchalantly while continuing to eat, "You did at one time, Akane." Genma shivered. Soun continued to cry and Ranma gave both Tendo sisters an apprehensive look.

"Don't cry, Daddy!" Nabiki pleaded to Soun, "Gomen nasai. I didn't mean to make you cry!" Massive tears filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

Soun, much to the surprise of Genma, suddenly stopped. "You didn't, sweetheart. Don't be sad. You're my big girl."

"Hai!" Nabiki chirped again, grinning and continuing to hug Ranma.

"What do you mean YOU'RE gonna marry Ranma, Onee? I'm the one engaged to the baka jerk!" Akane shouted. 'Me and three others...' Ranma, deciding for once to ignore Akane's rant, started eating again.

"Yeah but you don't love him, Onee-chan, and you really don't wanna either, ne?" Nabiki asked her sister, a serious look on her face.

"Of course, I don't wanna marry him, Nabiki. I never have. It was you and Kasumi who said it should be me. You never gave me a say." Akane glared at Kasumi, then Nabiki, and finally her father. "And Dad said that Ranma should choose between us like we're hunks of meat. It's obvious that he's a coward because he has three girls and one boy chasing after him and none of them are Tendo's. So much for the family honor," she scoffed.

"Akane..." Kasumi warned.

"Iie, let's have this out, Kasumi. Nabiki says she wants to marry Ranma. She reneged on that before."

"Akane, what means '_reneged_'?" Nabiki asked but was ignored.

"Ranma hates her and so do you!" the youngest Tendo declared.

"I do not!" her older sister denied. "I love him!" 'Why is Akane being so mean?' She chewed her bottom lip. "But Ranma-san might hate me 'cause I wasn't very nice to him. I was a bad girl. Gomen nasai." She bowed deeply to him with tears falling.

"You don't hate her, NE RANMA-KUN?" Kasumi stated coolly. She knew Nabiki was defending her "_father_" like any little girl might do.

"Nope, Nabiki's okay I guess. I don't hate her or nothing," Ranma answered hoping it was a safe response. Apparently, it wasn't because Akane leapt to her feet. Much to his surprise, Nabiki did as well.

"Don't you hurt him!" Nabiki shouted at her sister. She quickly scooted around so she was standing defiantly in front of Ranma. She would just have to prove to her family that she was a good girl.

"Please... You even need a little girl to defend you, you pervert," Akane sneered. "Dad, are you sure it's worth uniting our dojos when Ranma can't even stand up to your daughter?"

Akane never saw the blow coming. One instant, she was glaring at her father, the room filled with tension, and the next instant, the heir to the Tendo Dojo was staggering backwards, nose throbbing, Nabiki glowering at her with her fists raised. A moment later, her pigtailed sister's face crumpled and Nabiki burst into a stream of tears that easily outdid anything her father could muster.

Genma sat stunned. Like earlier, he wasn't sure how to respond. Some squabbling was good for their relationship; it kept it healthy. This though... His first reaction was to provoke Ranma but then, Nabiki had burst into tears. He didn't want to draw Kasumi's wrath, or Soun's for that matter. The elder Saotome froze as he saw Ranma rise to his feet. His son was giving Akane the same sort of look he typically reserved for Happosai. 'Maybe they'll start to battle!' He could feel hope rise within him. 'Then Akane will prove she will make strong sons for Ranma!' That thought was completely smashed after his son touched Nabiki gently on the shoulder. The middle Tendo daughter turned to press herself into him. He was appalled to see Ranma begin hugging the crying teenager, instead of his fiancée.

"What are you doing, pervert?" Akane demanded.

"When you cried when we were up at that hot springs, Akane, I hugged you. Nabiki is crying. She's sad because of what YOU said. Shouldn't you apologize?"

"For what? It's all true!" Akane shouted.

"Kasumi-chan," Soun interjected, "Would you take your imouto upstairs?"

"Hai, Otou-san," Kasumi agreed. She rose then moved around to take the sobbing teen into her arms. Genma wanted to cry too - no strong grandsons would ever appear.

"Na-chan," Ranma offered. Nabiki snuffled and regarded Ranma teary-eyed. "Your okonomiyaki is just as good as Ukyo's." He looked abashed as the young woman suddenly stopped crying, sniffled, and then gave Ranma another large hug before letting Kasumi lead her from the room.

"You liked that, ne pervert?" Akane demanded.

The pigtailed boy smirked. "Well, it's lots better than being hit."

'Here come the fireworks!' Genma thought.

Akane's temper was at uncharted levels. Even a layman could see the aura. "SAOTOME!" the youngest Tendo bellowed, "I CHALLENGE YOU!"

"Nani?" Ranma squeaked. Soun and Genma sat up.

"I challenge you to a formal match!"

"I don't hit girls, Akane. You know that," Ranma complained, looking as if the whole universe was picking on him. 'Maybe Nabiki would hug me again...'

"If you don't accept my challenge, Saotome, you'll lose and have that stain on your honor FOREVER. The great Ranma Saotome loses a match... to a girl - too scared to fight her. I can just hear Ryouga now..." Akane gave an evil sort of smile. "I can just imagine it." When Ranma didn't say anything. When after several seconds Ranma didn't say anything, Akane added, "You know, I just figured out why you haven't started chasing after any of your fiancées."

"Why?" Ranma growled.

"You have a Lolita complex." The teenager cocked her head. "Actually maybe you have a MOTHER complex too."

'Oh dear...' Genma winced, 'This won't be pretty.'

# # # # #

As the two eldest sisters made their way upstairs, Kasumi was trying to think of something to distract Nabiki. "Na-chan, you shouldn't be sad."

"But, Onee-chan, I don't like it when Akane's mean to Ranma-san... HE DIDN'T DO NOTHING WRONG."

"I know... I think maybe your imouto is just worried about you and well..."

"Nani?" her childlike sister questioned.

Kasumi smiled. "I think she's a little jealous." She considered for a moment. "I remember when you were six. It was at your birthday party. Every time you opened a present, Akane screamed her head off. She thought she should've gotten one too." Nabiki giggled. "I think maybe your imouto is jealous now because you can hug Ranma and she hasn't got to do that."

"But Ranma likes hugs!" 'Just because Akane doesn't wanna...' Kasumi was dubious about that statement but didn't bother disabusing her sister of the notion. Conversely, Nabiki liked hugs even more now than when she was a little girl. "Onee-chan, will you take a bath with me? I'd be scared all by myself."

Kasumi blinked. "You're a big girl though, Na-chan."

"Please Onee-chan... I'd ask Da... Ranma-san to but I don't want Akane getting all mad... jealous again." 'She'd hit him again for sure.'

Kasumi giggled. 'Kawaii but...' "I don't think Ranma would want to bathe with you."

"Honto? How come?" 'I thought he likes me.'

"He's a boy," Kasumi pointed out. She ushered her sister into her bedroom and then continued, "Besides, Na-chan, you're a very pretty seventeen year old woman."

"He won't get all grossed out at me if we take a bath then, ne Onee-chan?" There was something strangely exciting about it. 'Maybe...' "I know I'm not as kawaii big..." She looked down at herself.

"But Ranma-kun is a boy," Kasumi stated again as if this was a perfectly reasonable argument.

"Yeah, Daddy's a boy too," Nabiki pointed out.

"Daddy has not taken a bath with us in a long time," Kasumi countered.

"Well, he did when we were little; Mommy too. 'N' the time we went to the hot springs and..."

"Nabiki Tendo, Ranma is a fine young man, not our father," Nabiki nodded, looking expectant. "And you're an UNMARRIED young lady."

"Yeah, okay... so?"

"Ranma's not a little boy."

"Yeah... So?" That made it better in her opinion. Why was her sister so flustered? 'The furo's big enough for all of us.'

"It's just not proper. You won't have any clothes on when you're bathing."

"Be kinda silly if I did, Onee-chan!" the middle Tendo sister declared then giggled, still not understanding her sister's objection.

"Ranma's not family."

"Is too."

"He will be," Kasumi agreed.

"Good. So it's okay then, ne Onee-chan?"

"Iie, he's not family _yet_." Then Kasumi uttered in a near whisper, "Besides, Ranma-kun would be n-naked." The very thought made her blush.

She was even more distressed when her naive little sister shrugged her shoulders and asked, "So?"

Kasumi opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. Little kids seemed to have a sense of logic all their own. 'Kami-sama, explaining the facts of life to Nabiki was hard enough last time...' She grimaced. 'Akane was harder though.' In a final attempt to dissuade her sister from the notion of bathing with Ranma, at least while she was in her current mental state, Kasumi remarked, "Well, maybe when we go to the beach this summer, Ranma-kun will swim with you." The eldest Tendo daughter did not like the gleam that came into Nabiki's eyes then. At least, he'd be in girl form there. "Now, do you want me to take a bath with you, Na-chan?"

"Hai!"

# # # # #

Kasumi Tendo found the object of her earlier anguish with Nabiki in the kitchen eating cold takoyaki (fried octopus balls). "Ranma, those are supposed to be eaten hot. You don't want to get sick." When the pigtailed martial artist didn't respond, she asked, "Ne, Ranma-kun, where's Akane?"

"The dojo... Training for OUR MATCH," he replied then popped another "_octopus ball_" into his mouth. "By the way, Kasumi, supper was sugoi."

"Match?"

"Hai, Akane FORMALLY challenged me," he answered, sounding annoyed. "Y'know she didn't have to drag my mom into this, Kasumi."

"Your mother?" He nodded. The eldest Tendo sister was concerned. "Oh my... I hope you don't think less of us." She bowed. "Gomen nasai."

Ranma paused in his chewing. "It's between me and Akane and it'll get settled soon." He finished chewing, swallowed, and asked, "So, Kasumi, why'd you want her?"

"I wanted to ask her if she would bathe with Nabiki and I, like the old days." She sighed then and shook her head. "Maybe it's best she's not here. Those two need some time apart." She gave the young man a long look and then added coyly, "You're lucky, Ranma-kun. You came very close to needing your bathing suit tonight."

"Eer... Why?" He was eyeing Kasumi warily, as if the demure coed had suddenly changed into Shampoo.

"Because Nabiki... I mean Na-chan wanted..." She started blushing. "She wanted to take a bath with you." The young martial artist started choking on the takoyaki that he had been chewing.

"Nani?"

"I talked her out of it," she assured him, sounding slightly annoyed, "She just doesn't... I pointed out that you were a boy, and she was a girl and that non-family just shouldn't bathe together at home."

"Na-chan didn't buy that, ne Kasumi?"

"She said you were family." The older girl sighed. "Thankfully, she figured that Akane would be mad at you if you did."

"That's for sure." He was happy that Kasumi had intervened so he could escape that horrible fate. Akane was in enough of a tizzy today already. "Akane should be okay if it's just you and Nabiki."

"And..."

"And?" Ranma prompted, "Not Tendo-san..." 'Poor guy...' When Kasumi shook her head, he prodded, "Well, what then?"

"Bubbles," the nineteen year old stated, a pained look on her face.

"Bubbles?"

"Pink bubbles... in the furo," she elaborated. 'It'll take me a week to clean the furo when we're done.'

Ranma might have asked something at this point but was distracted by the pounding of approaching feet. Seconds later, an annoyed, and rather naked, Nabiki Tendo slid to a stop in the doorway to the kitchen and announced, "'Nee-chan, I'm ready!" Ranma whipped around searching in vain for an escape route but it was too late.

Spotting Ranma, Nabiki giggled innocently and asked, "Ranma-san, will you read me a bedtime story later?" Somehow, dumbfounded, he nodded his head. "Sugoi!" And she skipped away.

# # # # #

Nabiki Tendo giggled as she once again sank up to her chin in the warm bubbly water of the furo. "Sugoi!" she declared to her sister. The furo seemed somewhat smaller than when she was a child but no less enjoyable, especially with her mommy... big sister there.

"I'm glad you like it, Na-chan," Kasumi, sitting across from her with her hair wrapped in a towel, replied with a smile.

"Tomorrow school will be open, ne Onee-chan? I can't wait." 'Minako-chan and Ruri-chan won't believe how big I am! I wonder why they didn't come over to play?'

"I think so... The snow's stopped and the plows are working," her sister stated. "Although Tofu-sensei did say that you'd be excused from school."

"But I wanna go!"

"Na-chan, let's see how you're feeling tomorrow and decide, okay?"

"Un..." Nabiki sat up and mused, "Do... Do you think I'll be as pretty as you some day, Onee-chan?" She chewed her lip looking worried.

"You ARE pretty, Nabiki."

"But my hair's so short," Nabiki complained, tugging at the wet mop of hair she had.

"You'll just have to let it grow out if that's what you want." Kasumi shifted around so she could wrap an arm about her sister. "I missed doing this, bathing together and just talking as sisters. We haven't done that much after Mom died, ne Imouto?"

"Iie..." The teenager chewed her lip for a moment and then smiled. "Sometimes, I think I was naughty just so Mommy'd come back and yell at me." She shifted to be closer to her sister. "It didn't work though. Gomen nasai."

"It's just Otou-san and us," Kasumi explained softly. "I wish I had tried that..." She gave a soft smile and then giggled. She giggled even more when Nabiki stared at her with wide eyes. "Nani?"

"You weren't ever bad, Onee-chan," Nabiki declared. "You were the bestest... Not like me. I was a bad little girl."

Kasumi straightened and gave her younger sister a reproachful look. "All children misbehave sometimes."

"Not you."

The coed blushed a little as she admitted, "Even me, Na-chan. There is no such thing as a child who behaves perfectly all the time." Her sister was looking rather dubious at this point. "You think I was always goody-goody, ne?"

"Daddy never gots mad at you," Nabiki pointed out.

"That was because he had to deal with Akane. He was happy to train at least one of us in '_The Art_'," the young woman commented. "And after Okaa-san died... Well, I was too busy helping out to get into much mischief. But when Okaa-san was alive, I didn't always do everything I should."

Before Nabiki could comment either way, the door opened and Akane walked in wearing her robe and carrying her bath things. She froze upon seeing her two sisters sitting in the furo. "Gomen, Kasumi-chan, Nabiki-chan, I'll come back later."

"Come on in, Akane-chan," Kasumi invited.

"Hai!" Nabiki agreed. "Come in and play. We can splash, Akane-chan."

"You will not splash, Na-chan," the teenager declared sternly, which caused Nabiki to pout.

"Bubbles?" Akane observed.

"Might as well enjoy them, Akane," Kasumi offered, "Come in and relax."

"I think I'll wait, Onee-chan," Akane declined, starting to back out.

"You're still mad at me, ne 'Nee... Akane-chan?" Her eyes started to mist up.

"I'm confused," Akane admitted after several seconds.

"So am I... Come in and we can be confused together," Nabiki offered. Despite herself, Akane laughed and decided that it might be fun to join her sisters.

# # # # #

Later that night, Soun Tendo sat alone in his room looking through an old photo album reminiscing. There were photographs of his daughters as small children with him and his wife. He lifted his head as a gentle knock came at his door. "Come in!" he called out. The door opened to reveal Kasumi in the hallway, "Ah! Kasumi-chan... Come in."

Kasumi did so, sliding the door closed. "Otou-san..." she began as she approached Soun who was sitting by a low table. "Are you feeling all right?"

He looked at the album in his lap and sighed a little. "Just tired I guess, Kasumi." He looked up as she sat down near him. "Is Nabiki asleep?"

"Quite soundly, Daddy. She's had a long day." She smiled slightly. "She fell asleep while Ranma was reading a bedtime story to her."

"That's good. What happened to Nabiki sets a man to thinking." He pulled a hand over his face. "Your mother would have approved of young Saotome I think."

Kasumi regarded the album for a moment. It was open to a page containing a family photo taken on New Year's Day twelve years ago at the Otori Shrine. They were all wearing kimonos and big smiles. "It's hard to believe we were ever that small..."

"Small and giggly," her father corrected.

"Daddy, may I ask something?" When he nodded, the nineteen year old continued, "Why did you permit Ranma and Akane to become engaged?"

Soun flipped through a couple more pages apparently in thought. The picture on the page was crooked, as if the photographer was unsure how to hold the camera. Kasumi guessed it had to be herself or one of her sisters if her mother's look of affectionate exasperation was any indication.

Without looking at Kasumi, he explained, "I wanted her to be happy, Kasumi-chan." He raised his eyes to regard his eldest daughter. "I thought, still think, that Ranma can make Akane happy. Be the kind of man she needs."

Kasumi was silent for a moment then pointed out, "Ranma-kun has not made his choice."

Soun sighed. "I know, and I doubt now it will be Akane he chooses. She doesn't seem to be getting more affable about marrying him, nor less violent." He smiled. "I pushed their betrothal more for family than to unite our dojos. Finding a husband for you will not be difficult. Nabiki will find her own but Akane..." He sighed. "Saotome goes on about uniting our branches of the Anything Goes School and producing an heir. It was never just about that for me. My daughters' happiness means more." He closed the photo album and placed it on the table. "Kasumi-chan, if Ranma picks you, and you do not wish it, I will accept your choice. I will not force you."

"And Nabiki?"

"Nabiki is independent and will do as she likes, regardless of my feelings." Soun smiled then. "She was like that even as a little girl." The head of the Tendo Family chuckled then as memory came to him. "Your mother once spanked Nabiki and when I asked your imouto what she had learned, do you know what she said?" Kasumi shook her head. "Nabiki said, '_Wear three sets of winter underwear and make sure to know where Mommy is first._'"

His daughter giggled. Soun smiled, and moved to kiss her lightly on the forehead. "Arigato, Kasumi-chan. I like when my daughters laugh. And if the Kamis smile upon me, Nabiki and Akane will do the same."

Kasumi nodded before commenting, "Nabiki was talking in the furo earlier about feeling like she never behaved when she was younger. I tried to tell her I wasn't _Little Miss Innocent_ either, Daddy, but she wouldn't believe me."

Her father grinned at that. "For the most part, you were, Musume. You didn't try to test the limits like your imouto." Here he smiled broadly. "You just tended to think that when you were told not to do something, it meant don't do it when your mother or I were around."

"Nani?"

"Well, one time you decided you were going to surprise your mother and me with supper. You were told '_Don't touch the stove_.'"

"When was this?" Kasumi asked, her brow furrowing slightly trying to remember.

Soun considered for a moment. "Well, Akane was barely a toddler at the time. Your mother had laid down for a nap after having put Akane and Nabiki down for their naps. She figured I could keep an eye on you. Unfortunately, I got distracted by a sumo match on TV and you slipped off into the kitchen."

"Oh my..." Kasumi exclaimed, eyes widening, "I don't remember this."

"Thank the Kamis, you weren't hurt, but your mother was rather put out with both of us." He chuckled at the expression on Kasumi's face. He grew slightly serious then. "Do you think I should talk to Akane?"

"If you listen to Na-chan, she needs to be spanked," Kasumi commented, trying hard to keep her face straight.

"Sadly that wasn't something I ever did. It used to drive your mother up the wall. I left that all to her and when she was gone..."

"Sometimes I wanted to, Daddy, after Okaa-san died," Kasumi admitted.

"The fact that you didn't is shows the level of patience you have with both your imouto and myself. Gomen for burdening you with all of this, Kasumi-chan." He gave her another kiss on the forehead and got up. "Since you girls are done, I'm for a bath."

It was only after Soun had left the room that Kasumi remembered there were still pink bubbles in the bathwater. Smiling, Kasumi opened the photo album and started leafing through it.

# # # # #

Akane was about to climb into bed when she heard a knock at her door. "Hai?"

"It's me, Akane-chan," Kasumi's voice answered.

"Come in, 'Nee-chan," Akane said, sitting down on her bed. She was puzzled to see a book in Kasumi's arms. "What's that?"

"A photo album that Otou-san was looking at earlier." Her older sister crossed the room and settled herself on Akane's bed beside her younger sister. "Look at this!" The older girl opened the photo album and held it for Akane. As she studied the picture, Kasumi declared, "I bet this is the first picture of you in a gi."

"I have long hair," was Akane's comment. "Why is everybody being sentimental just because of Nabiki's little girl act?"

"You think your sister can fool Tofu-sensei, ne?"

Akane snorted. "Hai, Nabiki could pull it off if she sets her mind to it. It's just kinda convenient is all, 'Nee-chan. Of course, that baka Ranma fell for it. I can't figure how Nabiki's going to make any money doing it."

Kasumi waited a few seconds before saying, "I heard about the challenge between you and Ranma. When is it?"

"Tomorrow," the sixteen year old answered, "And I'm not backing out of it."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Kasumi said smoothly.

"Nani? If you're not here to talk me out of it, Kasumi, then why are you here?"

Kasumi sighed. "Must you be mad at everyone, Imouto?"

Akane blushed and looked at her feet. "Gomen... I'm just... I didn't mean to snap at you, Onee-chan. It's been a very confusing day." When her sister only nodded, Akane got up and moved to sit at her desk so she could look out the window. "It's all Ranma's fault. Why did Dad ever think one of us would want to marry that pervert Ranma Saotome? His father's just as baka."

"I think Saotome-ojisan's reasons are not the same as our father's," Kasumi speculated after a moment. "You really don't want to marry Ranma, ne Akane?"

"If I had a choice, iie, but Dad..." The teen sighed, crossed her arms, and put her forehead down on them. "Would you, 'Nee-chan?"

"If Ranma chose me, I would."

"But what about what you want? Is family honor so important? We're not just hunks of meat," Akane huffed, looking intently at her reserved sister.

"Akane-chan, what I want and what you or Nabiki want are different things." When the young woman frowned, Kasumi elaborated, "True, I would prefer a man closer to my age... That said I want a home, a good husband and father, and a large family. Ranma is an honorable young man. I think he would work hard to give me what I want. I'm sure love would come later."

"Oh please..." The young teen sounded disgusted. "And don't tell me Nabiki wants love. All Nabiki wants is money."

"I think Nabiki wants independence and stability, and she sees wealth as the way to gain it. '_Money is power_' I think is a good saying." Kasumi regarded her younger sister critically. "She's not a housewife, Akane, no more than I'm a businesswoman. Sure, I can make a budget, do a little banking, shop for the groceries, but anything higher..." She shrugged. "Nabiki handles all the finances. Without her, we would've likely lost the dojo years ago."

"And what about me?" her younger sister prodded, looking sour.

"You're like Otou-san. You're concerned with the martial rather than material world." Kasumi considered. "Daddy only wanted you to be happy." Akane stiffened. "May I ask something, Akane-chan?"

"Nani?" her little sister growled.

"What truly bothers you so much about Ranma?"

Akane's fists clenched and she grinded her teeth together. At first, Kasumi thought that her sister wouldn't reply but she eventually admitted, "When he first showed up here, I asked him to spar. I thought he was a girl." She scowled in recollection. "Ranma beat me easy and then didn't have the guts to tell me he was a guy!"

"And if he had?"

Akane's expression softened some. The teen suddenly sounded as tired as Soun looked. "I don't know, Onee-chan... I thought he could be my friend. I have a couple at school but they aren't interested in Aikido or Tendo-ryu. Nobody could beat me! Dad doesn't train with me anymore and here comes a girl who I could probably learn from..." Akane turned to stare out the window. 'We both had people chasing after us, wanting to date us, or marry us. He'll fight Shampoo and Ukyo and Ryouga, even Kuno... and I beat Kuno!'

Suddenly Akane whirled back. "The baka doesn't take me seriously!" When Kasumi looked blank, she amended, "He won't fight with me as he does Saotome-oji or Ryouga!"

"And that's what you want?"

"Of course, Kasumi! I'm as good as he is!" 'I just need to prove it to him then maybe...'

"I see... So you think of martial arts all the time then, ne?"

"Nani? Of course not! There's more to my life than '_The Art_'."

Kasumi stood. "Indeed Imouto... For Ranma, '_The Art_' IS life."

_End of Chapter 13_

Coming next in _**Chapter 14 - Coming to Grips**_

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	14. Chapter 14 Coming to Grips

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "_Innocence of Mine_" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com domain. Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Chapter 14 - Coming to Grips**

**A**s the alarm clock burred noisily in the darkness of the bedroom, a teenager's hand emerged from beneath the covers on the bed, felt around, found the offensive object, and flung it away. The clock in question though had the gall to continue to ring.

Grumbling imprecations on the clock's ancestry, Nabiki Tendo struggled into a kneeling position on her bed, staggered from under the sheets, and over to the alarm clock. She kicked it and when the contraption didn't take the hint, she bent down, shut the alarm off, and dropped it mercilessly back to the floor.

Nabiki shuffled over to the bed, flopped down face first on it, and made a motion as if drawing a pillow towards her. Finding none, the middle Tendo sister rolled to her side, sighed heavily, and put a forearm over her eyes.

"I hate mornings," the seventeen year old declared to the room in general. As the memory of Kasumi waking her up came back, she grumbled, "I can't believe Kasumi-onee is so bright and chipper in the morning... It's not natural." She rolled to her side again, pulled her legs up onto the bed, and thought, 'At least, Akane has the right idea. She knows when to sleep in.' Nabiki grimaced. 'You'd think a girl that sleeps as soundly as she does would be nicer... especially to Ranma-kun.' This was in marked contrast to little Akane-oneechan who awoke with the chickens to train every day.

Suddenly, the young woman sat up. She looked wildly around and felt herself blushing despite the cold as her eyes lit on a children's book. With forefinger and thumb, Nabiki picked the book up and blushed even more when she saw the suggested age range printed on it. "Oh no, I had Ranma-kun read this to me?" she asked herself in a terrified squeak.

A tapping at the door startled her, "Nabiki-chan?"

"Ju-Just a minute!" Nabiki shouted apprehensively. Looking wildly around, she stuffed the book under the covers and for good measure, just to make sure it wouldn't get the idea of crawling out from under the covers, sat on it. "C-Come in, Onee-chan!" the seventeen year old called. "Ohayo!"

When her door opened, Kasumi stepped into the bedroom. "Ohayo! Good, you're up." Kasumi smiled. "Want to help me with breakfast, Na-chan?"

"Iie, not today..." Nabiki replied. She hated turning her down after Ranma praised her culinary creation the prior day. 'I gotta dump the kiddy book!' "Maybe tomorrow, ne?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Na-chan," the elder sister agreed cheerily and gave her a hug, "In that case, come down soon and you can help me set the table."

This was the last thing in the world that Nabiki wanted to do. She was bound to meet Ranma and the rest of her family. "I need to do something, Onee-chan," she fibbed. When Kasumi looked politely puzzled, Nabiki squirmed then whispered, "It's private."

"All right. You can help me tomorrow, ne?"

Nabiki nodded. 'Maybe I was dreaming...' Her older sister was about to leave when Nabiki called out, "Onee-chan?" Kasumi paused. "Ne, can I ask you something?"

"Certainly?" When her younger sister motioned her into the room further, Kasumi did so closing the door and looking concerned. "Are you all right, Na-chan? You don't have a fever?"

"Please tell me I didn't flash Ranma-kun yesterday," Nabiki asked in a pained tone.

"I'm afraid you did, young lady. I hope you don't plan on repeating it," Kasumi stated seriously. "I must admit that Ranma-kun did handle it well though."

When Kasumi left, the embarrassed young woman flopped back onto her bed, covered her crimson face with her hands, and sighed deeply. 'A little kid's bedtime story and Ranma-kun saw my... my...' she whined to herself, 'And I took a bubblebath too! Everyone must think I'm a baby!'

Reluctantly, she got up and donned her robe and slippers. 'Although it was fun to bathe with Onee-chan... Even Akane when she stopped acting all offended.' Minutes later, she was just opening her door and was taken aback when she heard Ranma's voice. Blushing, Nabiki hid behind her partially open door and prayed to the Kami to be invisible. 'I don't think I can face Ranma-kun. He'll be so angry with me! What can I say to him? Maybe if...' Nabiki wanted to cry but she decided to wait instead.

# # # # #

Ranma Saotome, in girl form, paused in her food consumption that morning as she felt a new pair of eyes upon her. The redhead was a little puzzled because the most obvious source, Akane, was pointedly ignoring her. She glanced down at her, formerly his, still wet shirt and frowned. The youngest Tendo daughter knew very well how icy cold water found its way to Ranma that morning. 'I'm a guy! Akane didn't have to go get all huffy about my chest; it wasn't even showing this time.' She glanced at Akane again. 'But if she's so ticked off with me, why's she sitting next to me?' she complained to herself as she scanned the room. Genma, in panda form, was eating and was eyeing his son's food. Soun was reading a newspaper. 'Kasumi... Well if she starts eyeing me, it's time to leave.' She doubted that she'd survive Akane's fury. No, it was none of them. Yet the feeling remained.

Frowning slightly, the pigtailed martial artist turned to look behind her. She was startled to see a set of eyes and a mop of familiar brown hair. The eyes and hair quickly vanished as their owner gave a squeak and retreated away from the doorway. Curious, the busty redhead got up and walked toward the bashful observer. The others at the table looked on. Approaching, she spotted Nabiki standing there in her pajamas and robe.

"R-Ranma-kun..." Nabiki began and then turned a bright red and looked towards the wall.

"Ohayo Nabiki," she greeted her.

"About yesterday... I... I..." the teen started timidly and then halted with her head bowed.

Ranma was concerned; this wasn't like Nabiki at all. "You still feeling weird?" She shook her head. "Then why are you staring at my feet?" Nabiki's head snapped up and she met the gender-changing teen's eyes. Ranma-chan was startled to see her face grow an even deeper shade of red. "Breakfast is out, Nabiki. Ain't you'd better go grab some before Pops steals it all?"

"I will..." Nabiki squirmed a little. "Gomen nasai, Ranma-kun, I'm sorry I flashed you yesterday. I'm so embarrassed." The last was said in a near whisper. 'Why did I do that to him? He must think I'm a baby. He'll never like me now.'

Regardless, the sound of Soun beginning to cry and Akane cracking her knuckles showed that everyone had heard her. 'Why ain't Pops doing anything?' Dismissing it, the young man said, "That's okay, Na-chan. I... uh, I mean you weren't yourself yesterday, ne?"

Ranma-chan might have said more, and likely further provoked Akane in the process, but Nabiki asked optimistically, "So you ain't mad, ne Ranma-kun?"

"Nope! Why should I be?"

Nabiki paused for a moment and smiled. Giggling, she lunged forward and gave Ranma-chan a large hug nearly knocking the redhead off-balance. It was strange that Ranma was smaller than she was. Ranma froze momentarily baffled by the sensation. Before she could say anything however, Nabiki declared in a stage whisper, "I know why Akane-chan's jealous."

"Nani? Why?" the martial artist wondered, knowing it would likely provoke Akane.

"'Cause you're cuddlier!"

"**THAT'S IT!**" Akane shouted. An instant later, she stormed past the pair of hugging girls and down the hallway.

"Where are you going, Akane-chan?" Kasumi questioned. It was a half-hour before they normally left.

"School!"

The seventeen year old was disappointed when Ranma-chan squirmed free of the hug and ran after Akane. "Hey wait for me!" Ranma-chan protested. "Akane!" Nabiki might have followed but Kasumi appeared.

"Are you all right, Na-chan?" Kasumi asked her sister, "You were upstairs an awfully long time." Before her younger sister could offer an answer, she continued, "Hiding from Ranma isn't any reason to miss breakfast." Fuming, Nabiki stomped to the table and sat down.

# # # # #

After finishing breakfast, Nabiki Tendo retreated upstairs to her room to get ready for school. She opened her closet and stared. One part of her said that these were her clothes, many "_borrowed_" from Akane. Another part of her felt muddled - it didn't recognize these big girl clothes as hers.

She searched in vain but could not find her orange elementary school uniform anywhere. By the time a knock sounded on her door, half of her wardrobe had been pulled out and strewn about. "Hai!" she called. She reached for a box that had been stuffed right to the back.

"Na-chan, do... Oh my, what are you doing?"

Nabiki paused, glancing over her shoulder. "Gettin' dressed, Onee-chan."

Kasumi stared at all the clothes on the floor before asking, "Looking for anything in particular?"

"My school fuku."

"It's right there, Na-chan," her sister observed, motioning at a hanger holding her winter Furinkan High School uniform. "But Tofu-sensei said you could stay home."

Nabiki grunted, stood up, and commented, "Well, I can't stay in these." She tugged at her night clothing. "I'm going to get dressed, Onee-chan. Did you want something?"

'As long as she's not going to school...' The coed cocked her head and wondered, "Ne, Na-chan, would you like me to help you dress?"

The middle Tendo daughter stared at her older sister for several moments. "Ka-su-mi... How old am I?"

"Seventeen."

"I think that means I can dress myself, ne?"

"But you needed help yesterday, Na-chan," Kasumi argued. She luckily seemed to ignore the burning spots on her little sister's cheeks, as Nabiki was suddenly flooded with shame.

"I wanna try it by myself today, please Onee-chan?" Nabiki asked, trying not to sound upset. She knew that Kasumi had her best interests at heart and she also knew she had to be patient with her sister.

Some minutes later, Nabiki came downstairs glowing with pride after dressing in her school uniform all by herself. She was sporting her tiny pigtails. She had initially been sad that her cute elementary school uniform was nowhere to be found but she knew Na-chan would be proud to be wearing a Furinkan High School uniform. It was just as well; Nabiki figured she was too big now to fit in her other one. It made her feel grownup.

Nabiki's newfound pride was quickly being replaced with frustration as her patience with her older sister was tested. The young woman was restraining her temper with great effort. "Onee-chan," she whined as she pulled on her boots, "I'm okay. I can go to school!"

"But, Nabiki, do you really think you should? Tofu-sensei said that he'd excuse you."

"I'll be fine," Nabiki assured her sister, "I'm a big girl." 'I ain't a baby. I can't have Ranma thinking I am.' Kasumi looked worried testing her resolve. "I mean it, Kasumi. I know where the school is. Akane and Ranma-kun are there and everything. Do you honestly think either one of them would let anybody hurt me?"

"Iie," the nineteen year old said, "Maybe we should check with Tofu-sensei first though just to be safe."

"That'd just make me tardy, Onee-chan. I don't want sensei mad at me." Nabiki stood and pulled her jacket on. "I'll be safe."

"I don't suppose you'd let me or Otou-san walk..." Kasumi trailed off as her younger sister gave her an annoyed look, the same look Nabiki had given her at the age of seven when she had wanted to walk her little sister to school holding her hand.

"Look, if I have problems, I'll come home or go to Tofu-sensei, whichever is closer," Nabiki promised and before Kasumi could protest anymore, she dashed out of the house. She felt vaguely guilty about running off from her older sister but she couldn't miss school; it would be a real pain to catch up. 'I can't believe I flashed Ranma-kun!' It was more than a little mortifying. 'He must think I'm like Shampoo! A floozy!' She wasn't sure what that was but Akane often called Shampoo that when the Amazon was fawning over Ranma.

Frowning, she allowed her feet to carry her to school. Most of her concentration was spent on what she needed to do in the next days. 'I need to pin Akane down on those mushrooms that she told me about before. I'm sure glad that I didn't bring them up yesterday.' She chewed her lip in thought. 'I should go see if I can track Kaji down too. I gotta know what made him do this.' She rounded a corner dodging a dozing cat. 'I need to find out where Happosai-ojiisan went too...' That thought brought another one to mind. 'I need to talk to Ranma-kun about '_The Art_'.'

That was if Ranma was willing to talk to her. She still couldn't believe her juvenile antics of the day before. 'Why do I care what Ranma-kun thinks?' She did though and couldn't help but despair at the size of the mountain that she needed to overcome for Ranma to really like her.

The teenager suddenly wished that she hadn't been so upset with Kasumi. 'I couldn't let Onee-chan walk me to school like a baby!' It was bad enough that her sister had helped her dress the day before. 'Why couldn't Ranma-kun and Akane wait for me?' After a little thought, she sighed. 'Well, it ain't their fault. I normally don't walk with them.' She felt very lonely all of a sudden. 'I should've...'

She was just trying to think of a way to apologize to Kasumi without losing face when her train of thought was derailed by a familiar voice coming from just around a corner. "Are you okay, Minako-chan?"

Hurrying, she was at first confused by the appearance of a little girl, staring at a pair of legs sticking out of a trashcan. "Ruri-chan?" Nabiki asked. 'Gosh! Ruri's so little... And why is she headed towards Furinkan?' The little girl gave a start and turned wide round eyes on the strange teenage girl. "Where's Minako?" Ruri just pointed.

"Get me out!" wailed the pair of legs.

Nabiki moved forward and lifted her small friend out of the trashcan. While brushing the litter off the seven year old's school uniform, Nabiki questioned, "You okay?"

"Un..." Minako commented, sniffled, and glanced around.

"Ne, who did this?"

"Nobody," Ruri answered.

"Nobody, ne? I bet it was Naomi!" Nabiki stated, looking around for the bully. 'That was mean. I'll stuff her into a trashcan!' Almost immediately, she felt guilty about that thought. 'Okay, I won't. I'll let Akane do it.' Besides, just because she was bigger than Naomi was now was no reason to be mean. Maybe they could be friends now.

"Arigato oba-san," Minako said while pulling a gum wrapper out of her long blond hair and straightening her red ribbon.

"Oba-san? Hey, I'm not that old," the teen protested.

"We should go, Minako-chan," Ruri prodded. "We don't wanna be tardy for that test. Arigato, onee-san." She quickly bowed to her friend's benefactor.

Before Nabiki could comment, Minako turned back to Nabiki and asked bashfully, "Onee-chan, would you stuff me back in there?"

"Didn't study, ne Minako-chan?" the teenager kneeled down and asked with a small smirk. The little blonde shook her head sadly. Ruri wondered how this girl could know her friend so well.

Nabiki scrutinized the two little girls. They were still cute. That hadn't changed. In fact, both appeared exactly the same save two things: 1) They were no longer bigger than she was by a long shot and 2) They were wearing completely different school uniforms. Not the bright orange version of Na-chan but the same red and white style as Nabiki remembered wearing when she was small. "Come on, I'll walk the both of you to school."

"That's okay... It's just behind the wall, onee-san," Ruri commented, pointing.

"Eh?" Nabiki asked. It was then she realized that she hadn't headed for Furinkan High School at all but Oizumi Elementary School. The one that Kaji had made her go to as Na-chan and she herself attended as a child. 'Nabiki no baka!' "Well come on, girls, or you'll be tardy. 'Sides, I need to head that way anyway."

"Onee-san," Ruri began as they started down the sidewalk. "How do you know Naomi-sempai?" 'And us,' she wanted to add.

"She and I had a little run in at the ice rink last week."

"Honto? Is Naomi baka?" Minako asked, staring in disbelief. She hasn't realized Naomi was that bold.

"I don't think so, Minako-chan," Nabiki replied as they reached the entrance to the elementary school.

She hadn't taken more than a few steps inside when Ruri brought her up short by inquiring, "Are you lookin' for somebody, onee-san?" This girl might be a classmate's older sister.

"Oh! Gomen!" the high-schooler grinned. "I guess I wanted to come here again, Ruri-chan. I used to go here when I was little. It's lots more fun than high school."

"I don't ever want to grow up then," Minako grumbled and then as a sudden thought struck her, she amended, "I wish I was an adult!"

"Why?" Ruri and Nabiki asked at the same time.

"'Cause that way, when Mommy finds out I flunked this test, she won't spank me."

Nabiki chuckled then gave a sad wave good-bye to the two little girls that were Na-chan's best friends. She turned heading for Furinkan High.

# # # # #

Kasumi left the Tendo home, bundled against the cold, and started the walk towards Furinkan High School. 'I'll just check real quick to make sure that Nabiki's there. If she is, I'll go home.'

It had been hard for Kasumi trying to raise her younger sisters after the death of their mother. She'd thrown her entire being into it, burying her grief under housework, caretaking, and schoolwork, trying desperately to keep her family together like her mother would want.

'Nabiki has changed and I hope Kami-sama will let her be better.' Kasumi sighed as she walked. 'Otou-san never saw. Maybe if he had...' The coed felt guilty about blaming her father but it had been hard to chastise her sisters, especially sisters only a few years younger than herself. 'Maybe if I had tried with Akane... but she seemed so angry.' The youngest Tendo daughter had been unwilling to listen and was resentful whenever Kasumi had tried to correct her errant behavior. Akane would always say that Kasumi wasn't her mommy. One time, when Akane had injured a boy who'd been teasing her, Kasumi had been quite upset. Her youngest sister's response was to lash out in anger, an anger accusing Kasumi of killing their mother. 'I slapped her...' Kasumi remembered sadly as she turned a corner, 'We went our separate ways then.'

Nabiki, on the other hand, had retreated into herself and simply stopped responding to correction. 'I didn't do much better, ne Kasumi?' she asked herself. The eldest of the Tendo sisters had wanted to provoke some reaction in Nabiki. Instead, her little sister had simply stood there, blank-faced except for the little scowl on her forehead. Eventually, Kasumi had to give up and concentrated on the running their home. As far as her sisters, all she could do was sit back and hope for the best.

She had come to rely on her Nabiki's natural gifts at finance. She wasn't sure the dojo would have made without her. But there was more to life than that Kasumi knew. 'Now she's showing more emotion, don't crush it!' she told herself. She was not naive about one thing - she wanted to hold on tight to what was _flowering_ within Nabiki.

She spent the rest of the walk to the high school she had graduated from more than a year before mulling over how she was going to keep Nabiki away from the dojo. She certainly did not want her sister knowing about the match between Akane and Ranma scheduled that afternoon. She wasn't sure what Nabiki would do in her current childlike state.

As she entered the grounds to Furinkan, she spotted Ranma, back in boy form, sitting in a tree gloomily looking at the school building. "Ranma-kun?" He turned and blinked, his eyes widening as he recognized Kasumi. "What are you doing up there?"

"Hidin'," Ranma commented. "Shampoo showed up this morning wantin' to take me on a date. Akane couldn't keep quiet and told Shampoo that I was busy this afternoon and why." 'Why couldn't she forget about our match?'

Kasumi frowned slightly. "What did Shampoo do, Ranma?"

Ranma gave a lopsided grin. "Nearly killed herself laughing. She said she'd be by to watch the quickest fight in history."

"That wasn't very nice," the coed said and then after a moment added, "But Ranma... I want you to promise me you'll give Akane a real match." He blinked. "Let her fight Ranma Saotome... not Ranko." He scowled, jumped gracefully from the tree doing a full flip in the process, and walked to stand in front of Kasumi.

"I don't hit girls, Kasumi. You know that."

"A very gallant thought but baka in a challenge match." She smiled as he gaped at her in disbelief. "Let me be frank... Despite what most men would like to think, not all women are helpless damsels. We have our own weapons." When the young man before her got a stubborn look on his face, she explained, "Ranma-kun, if you don't fight Akane properly, you'll disgrace her. Do you want to do that?"

Ranma looked pained for a moment and then stared towards the ground. "Iie but..." He glanced up.

"Ranma," the eldest Tendo interrupted, "You train a lot, ne?" He nodded. "Especially with Saotome-ojisan." Another nod. "I dislike saying this as I'm not an expert, but Akane's training until you came consisted mostly of schoolyard brawls. None of them was martial artists. Kuno did not make Akane stretch because he loves her."

"True..." the young martial artist agreed.

"Unfortunately, Otou-san couldn't help her after a certain point. Akane earned a black belt like you although not your degree." 'And she wasn't about to accept Happosai's instruction to advance.' "By taking her challenge seriously, you might show her that strength does not equal experience." He appeared unconvinced. Kasumi sighed. After a moment, she said, "Ranma-kun, I had to raise both my imouto after Okaa-san died. I wasn't a parent but I got books. In one of the old books, translated from English, there was a saying."

When she didn't continue, Ranma prodded, "Ne, what did it say?"

"It said, '_Sometimes the quickest way to a kid's brain is his bottom._'" She smiled slightly as he gaped at her. "Avoiding Akane in battle is like nagging a child, they eventually become quite adept at tuning you out. Just ask Nabiki."

"Well, Na-chan's coming up the street, Kasumi, so I guess I could."

Kasumi whipped around, eyes wide with alarm. "Oh my! She can't find me here!" And in a move worthy of the _Anything Goes School of Martial Arts_, the eldest Tendo daughter vanished behind the tree Ranma had been sitting in moments before.

# # # # #

Dr. Tofu Ono looked out into the waiting room of his clinic as the door opened. He was concerned to see Akane leading a worried and rather distressed Nabiki.

"What happened?"

"She's using her little kid act to get out of school, Tofu-sensei," Akane growled. "She showed up during break and asked me to bring her here."

"I couldn't ask Ranma-kun, Akane-chan... Gomen... I just couldn't," Nabiki sobbed miserably.

"Nabiki-chan, why don't you go wait in the next room? I want to talk to your imouto." Nabiki nodded, stepped from her school shoes, and shuffled into the room. Dr. Tofu waited until the door was closed before turning back to Akane.

Before he could say anything though, Akane huffed, "Phone Kasumi when she's done, Sensei. I need to run to get back to school in time." 'Nabiki no baka!' And with that, the youngest Tendo daughter was out the door and rapidly vanishing from sight.

Tofu sighed. He stepped into one of his examination rooms and over to the examination table where his patient Nabiki was sitting. Pulling over a metal stool, he sat down and asked, "How are you feeling now, Nabiki-chan?"

"Silly, Tofu-sensei," Nabiki answered, sounding embarrassed. "Did Akane-chan run back off to school?" When the man nodded, the seventeen year old grumbled, "She could've at least stayed." 'Akane-oneechan would've. She was the bestest.'

"I phoned Kasumi-chan..." When Nabiki gave him an alarmed look, he quickly added, "I told her that when you were feeling up to it, I'd walk you home."

"Arigato, Sensei."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"Well, I got to school although I took a bit of detour." He gave her a politely curious look but she didn't go into any details. "So Yuriko-onee... I mean Yuri-chan and some of the other girls were waiting for me. We talked and stuff."

"Indeed... How did that go?"

"Okay I think, Sensei, they thought I had a cold or something 'cause I wasn't saying much. I really didn't understand all the stuff they were saying. Stuff about odds and payoffs and..." She shrugged.

Tofu nodded. "So then what happened, Nabiki-chan?"

Nabiki grimaced. "Homeroom went okay... but for some reason, I wound up feeling sorry for Kuno-sempai. I had this weird urge to go over and hug him when he started complaining about my on... imouto avoiding him." Here the young doctor laughed and somehow that made his patient smile.

"So when did you start to feel stressed?"

Nabiki shifted a little and closed her eyes. "First period. I got called on and all I could do was act like a fish." Here the young lady grimaced in thought. "Things started to get real weird after that, Tofu-sensei. I could hear what my sensei was saying but it just wasn't sticking. It was like my brain was in a thick fog or something. The other kids laughed and stuff." The kids never laughed at her before even though she remembered laughing at them occasionally. 'It was my fault for being mean to them.'

"And so at break time, you went and got Akane who brought you here, ne Nabiki-chan?"

She nodded. "I couldn't ask Ranma-kun."

"Why?"

Nabiki sighed, opened her eyes, and gave the young man a serious look. "Because I acted like a little girl... I should've been in diapers."

"Oh?" Dr. Tofu prompted. Miserably, Nabiki told him of the events form the day before after he had left. "Well, I want to run a few tests but do you feel better now?"

"Sorta fuzzy, Sensei," she admitted then yawned. "Can you give me something like yesterday?"

"I'll use a pressure point this time. I don't want to another sedative unless I have to. Yesterday, I wanted to make sure that you would sleep undisturbed." The physician adjusted his glasses. "Given the Tendo Dojo's record for creating rather sizeable distractions, I thought medication was the best course. You go ahead and rest for a while, Nabiki-chan."

# # # # #

"Well Sensei?" Nabiki inquired about two hours later in the examination room of Dr. Tofu's clinic. 'That pressure point stuff sure worked!' "Am I nuts?"

"I wouldn't diagnose it as that, Nabiki-chan," the doctor explained as he settled himself on a stool. "Physically, you're just as you were yesterday when I examined you."

"Mentally?"

Dr. Tofu grinned. "Well, you've matured since then. At least, you aren't perceiving things like an eight year old child anymore." He didn't go on to say that she didn't perceive things like a seventeen year old either - probably preteen level.

"That's good, ne Sensei?"

"Quite good, Nabiki-chan, and if you continue to settle back into your normal perceptions, things should return to a more even balance." He rubbed his chin for a moment. "I don't think you should go back to school until next Monday at the earliest." He noticed her frown. "What's the matter?"

"I haven't been the nicest person around, Sensei," his teenage patient told him. 'And even so, Ranma and Kasumi have been nice.' "I need to try and work on being good girl to make everyone proud."

The young physician rubbed his chin and then gave his patient a long look. "It sounds like you desire to make some changes in your life, Nabiki-chan." She nodded. "That can be difficult sometimes. People may not be accepting of such changes especially at first."

"Hai, Akane for one," the teenager grumbled.

"In the end, you must do what's best for you... I think," Dr. Tofu decided. "But you need to get your spirit back in balance first." It was as if Nabiki had two auras slowly merging. "Small steps are best." The young woman gave him a puzzled look. "Think about it this way, Nabiki-chan, a driver suddenly notices that he is drifting to the right because he wasn't paying attention. To properly correct this problem, he should gently turn the wheel to the left until he regains the center." Nabiki nodded following the example in her head. "What if the driver yanks the wheel hard to the left?"

"He'd go past the center line and could get into an accident. He might never recover."

"So you're saying little steps, ne Tofu-sensei?"

The young man tilted his head slightly. "Either that or leave time for people to get used to the idea." He stood then and announced, "I'll walk you home and have another talk with Kasumi-chan."

The young woman gave him an evil grin. "You're just sweet on my onee."

That completely ruffled him. "Iie... I mean of course, Ka-Kasumi-chan is a very nice..." He coughed and regained his composure. "Nabiki-chan, I wanted to inform your onee that you have progressed well BUT you should remain home for the rest of this week. I'll inform your principal that you'll return to school on Monday."

"Sounds boring, Sensei," she complained. "But I guess after this, Kasumi-oneechan won't let me out of her sight." 'I wasn't very nice leaving her like that though.'

# # # # #

Soun Tendo was reading the newspaper and sipping tea that afternoon when Nabiki came to him. He smiled seeing that she seemed in better spirits. When Dr. Tofu Ono had come home with her, he'd been concerned but by lunchtime, Nabiki seemed to be in a fairly upbeat mood.

"Daddy?"

"Hai Nabiki?"

Nabiki shifted a little and asked, "Did you like being married?"

Soun Tendo laid his newspaper down and considered his middle daughter's question for a few moments. "I loved your mother dearly and by marrying her, I showed her that I was committed to her happiness for the rest of our lives." He gave a rueful grin then. "That was tested when we got under each other's skin."

"You and Okaa-san fought then?"

"I was vocal, your mother strategic." Nabiki blinked so Soun explained, "Instead of arguing about it, your okaa-san would submit to my viewpoint, say, '_Of course, husband, as you say,_' and then just wait."

"Nani? Wait?"

Soun chuckled. "Hai, wait. She'd sit there and be polite and go on as if we hadn't had a difference of opinion at all." His daughter looked dubious. "Eventually this made me feel guilty, and I gave in and took over her viewpoint."

Nabiki giggled. "Otou-san! Did Okaa-san always win like that?" The seventeen year old doubted that she could do something like that.

"Only the important things, Musume... I was too wrapped up in '_The Art_'." 'I should've been there more for my girls.' He gave her a long look. "Nabiki-chan, you said you were going to marry Ranma." Nabiki dropped her face into her hands and blushed. "I won't force you to. You weren't yourself yesterday and..."

Wanting to change the subject in a hurry, she interjected, "Daddy... Have you thought about taking on students?"

The Tendo patriarch frowned. "I have, Na-chan. The difficulty is most students only wish to learn a specific style such as aikido or karate as quick as they can." He took in a long breath and let it out. "I did teach when your dear mother was alive. After she passed away though, I... I found it very difficult to be patient with new students."

"I guess Saotome-ojisan would be the same, ne Daddy?"

"His training methods are not for the person looking to learn a single style or who isn't willing to dedicate their time either."

Nabiki nodded, cocked her head, and asked after a moment in a thoughtful tone, "Ne, could Ranma-kun?"

"Teach?" Soun asked. Nabiki nodded. He hummed slightly, stroking his mustache for a moment, and shook his head. "He could but the Master would have to approve." When his daughter snorted, he looked nervously around. "Nabiki, the Master is the founder of the _Anything Goes School of Martial Arts_. He has the right to say who will and will not teach the school's precepts."

Nabiki glared. "Daddy... Happosai-ojiisan is really old and does need an heir." She sadly concluded that it would not be her father or Genma. "I'm sure I can convince him..." Nabiki paused thinking that maybe she could ask Kaji for help. "I'm worried though."

"About what, Nabiki-chan," he asked her. He looked up as Kasumi came into the room with more tea. By the look on her face, she'd been eavesdropping. "Do you know what this is all about, Kasumi-chan?"

"I do, Otou-san," Kasumi said, pursing her lips. "Nabiki was asking me about... Well, how we might encourage new students to join the dojo."

"I thought maybe Akane could teach," Nabiki commented to Soun.

"Do we need students?" Soun asked, sounding worried. Both his daughters noted the absence of a response to Akane's name.

"Daddy, unless you know of the imminent departure of the Saotomes, it is my responsibility to ensure that the household is well supplied for. That unfortunately takes money." 'Wow! Where did that come from?'

"And we don't have any?" asked the father of three. He wasn't used to having Nabiki and Kasumi double-team him.

"We have some money, Otou-san," Kasumi said. "I do think however that there might be a reduction in our current sources. We need to find other ones to replace them. We are a dojo; we should teach, ne?"

"And what has this got to do with young Saotome teaching?"

"Otou-san, you told me once that when one has a black belt, one does not go to the novice for instruction but seeks out another black belt of a higher rank," Kasumi stated.

"We're talking about Akane now, ne?"

Kasumi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I was merely speaking in abstracts, Otou-san."

"Ne, Onee-chan," Nabiki asked before her father could reply, "What's an '_abstract_'?"

# # # # #

Later in the afternoon at Kasumi's request, Nabiki Tendo and Ranma Saotome left the Tendo home heading for the local market to pick up some items to use in that night's meal.

"Ranma-kun, what was Akane talking about before?" Nabiki asked suspiciously. She was still wearing her high school uniform under her jacket.

"Um... She's training," Ranma replied. He said it in a tone which indicated that he didn't want to talk about it so, so the seventeen year old didn't pursue the matter.

Nabiki moved to join him on the sidewalk after they stepped through the gate of the Tendo property. As the pair began walking down the sidewalk together, the young woman looked around and whistled softly. "It looks like all the buildings are coated with icing."

"I never thought of it that way, Na-chan, gomen I mean Nabiki," Ranma admitted. "It is kinda pretty though."

"Na-chan is fine, Ranma-kun." She almost swooned. They then walked in silence for a few moments. "Ne... um..."

"Nani?" the young man asked.

"Do you like Akane?" After a span of seconds, Ranma jerkily nodded his head. "Anything in particular?" Nabiki felt safe asking this last part since Akane was safe at home.

"Um... She did have a nice smile, especially when she had long hair."

'Grow!' Nabiki suddenly pleaded to her hair, 'Grow!' It occurred to her then that she was practically mooning over Ranma like his other _supposed_ fiancées did. She was so preoccupied with this thought that she completely missed what Ranma had said next. "Nani?"

Ranma took a breath, let it out, and repeated, "Akane thinks I like to chase all these girls... or have 'em chasing me. It ain't my fault. I thought she'd get it but she don't!"

"Get what?" she asked in bafflement.

"Before I showed up with Pops, Akane had every guy at school chasing after her. That nutcase Kuno still chases after her but none of the others does. I would've thought..." He abruptly stopped apparently remembering with whom he was talking to. 'Nabiki's so nice now. It ain't natural.' Before the naive teenager could prompt him to go on, he frowned. "I think we passed our corner."

"Oh!" Nabiki blushed and giggled. Backtracking, they continued their walk. As they walked along, she realized that she was holding Ranma's hand. She suppressed the urge to squeal with delight.

# # # # #

Later, as the duo walked home from the market, Nabiki hummed to herself tunelessly. In her left hand, she was carrying a plastic bag containing their purchases; her right hand was occupied with Ranma's left. It should have made her feel like a little kid holding hands but instead, it made her feel content even joyful. "You... seem better, Na-chan."

"Hai!" she squeaked and then blushing thought, 'I can't believe it... Maybe I can ask Ranma to get me those age-changing mushrooms.' A mental image of little Na-chan being cuddled by Daddy Ranma appeared to her then and she smiled. 'Akane wouldn't be mad at me then, ne?' "Ra-Ranma-kun?"

"Hmmm?"

Nabiki's lips parted but nothing came out for a moment before she asked in a shy yet rushed voice, "Canwebefriends?" She had been careful not to utter the word "_girlfriend_" since she knew quite well that the young man beside her had too many unwanted ones already.

"Sure, Na-chan," he remarked and then gave her hand a squeeze.

The brunette teen was so startled that she stopped dead in her tracks and blushed so hard that it was almost painful. Then with a squeal, she started dancing about Ranma with the bag in her hand bouncing along with her. Ranma for his part wasn't quite sure how to respond and allowed himself to be spun around by the frolicking teen holding his hand.

'Stop it!' Nabiki pleaded with herself. She was completely mortified by how she was acting. He didn't need a baby for a friend! Nearly dizzy from blushing so much, she disengaged her hand from the pigtailed martial artist's and tried walking again. She only managed a couple steps before she tripped over her feet, lost her balance, and fell toward the sidewalk. Her arms started to windmill instinctively causing the plastic bag to slip from her grip. It toppled to the ground spilling its contents.

Meanwhile, Nabiki's yelp of surprise was cut short though when she was suddenly jerked back to her feet. "Na-chan. You okay?" Ranma asked while holding the young woman in his arms. Concern tinged his voice. The pair completely missed the figure who had turned onto the street.

"Hai..." Nabiki wanted to cry, which made her blush. "Gomen nasai, Ranma-kun." She knelt down and started gathering the spilt contents back into the bag.

He was completely baffled. "Why are you apologizing, Na-chan? It was an accident, ne?" The martial artist knelt down next to Nabiki to help. He was alarmed to see her eyes beginning to mist over. Meanwhile, the shadow moved silently closer behind a large vending machine and listened.

They herded the last item (a radish) into the bag and stood up. "Ranma-kun, I'm... I'm just acting really silly," the teen whined. She quickly wiped her eyes. "Look at me crying like a baby." She scuffed the toe of one of her shoes while bowing her head. "Gosh, I must be so embarrassing to be around." She raised her head to regard Ranma and tried to smile but she couldn't.

Ranma was stymied for an answer. After several seconds of silence, in which the young woman before him squirmed, he began, "Well, to be honest, Na-chan..."

"Nani?"

"I kinda like you this way actually."

"Honto?" Nabiki offered shyly, peeking from under her damp eyelashes. The young man before nodded slowly. '**SUGOI!**' Giggling like a little girl, and hating herself for it, Nabiki Tendo moved closer then gave Ranma a hug and a peck on the cheek. "You're really nice." 'Why didn't I ever see it before? Akane no baka.'

Not wanting to embarrass herself further, Nabiki held onto the wayward bag with both hands this time. As they started walking home again, he mused, "Wish Akane thought I was nice." He sighed, rubbed his head, and then shook it despondently.

"Well, there's Shampoo-onee... I mean Shampoo." 'She's got pretty LONG hair... How can I compete?'

"Are you nuts?" Ranma demanded. "Shampoo cooks ramen real good and all but I don't love her. She don't get that though. The old ghoul's just as bad." He kicked a stone on the ground that sent it sailing off. "Akane thinks that I'm just after Shampoo's body!" He blushed. "If I was interested in big breasts, I'd spend my time as a girl!"

Nabiki stared down at herself and then at him. "So you don't think she's kawaii?" 'I think so even if she's really scary sometimes.'

"Only when she's not groping me or stuffing me with some potion." Ranma frowned. "Her c-c-c-c-cat form is a complete write off." He shuddered.

"She seems interested in you though, Ranma-kun."

"It's one-sided, Na-chan, but A-KA-NE," he grounded the words out, "Won't listen. First, Shampoo gives me the '_Kiss of Death_' and then she says I'm her fiancé. Why can't she just go back home to China? That village and Shampoo have caused me nothing but trouble."

"Like our family, ne?" his companion wondered softly. 'And me in particular.'

What Ranma said next startled Nabiki into immobility. "I've made my choice." The seventeen year old stared with wide eyes at the young man next to her. "Tomorrow, I'll tell our dads."

Before Nabiki Tendo could gather any words, a shrieking purplish form rushed from the shadows. The form materialized into Shampoo. Both her hands were wrapped around a large katana whilst the fires of hell were raging in the Amazonian warrior's eyes.

"HUSBAND ONLY BELONG SHAMPOO!"

_End of Chapter 14_

Coming next in _**Chapter 15 - Breaking and Mending Fence**_**s**

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


	15. Chapter 15 Breaking and Mending Fences

**Innocence of Mine**

By Douglas Helm and "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "_Innocence of Mine_" are copyrighted ©2006 ShoujoFiction .com by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Ranma ½ characters are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.

**This story and our many other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com domain. Comments are welcomed and encouraged.**

**Chapter 15 - Breaking and Mending Fences**

**A**kane Tendo wearing her gi paced impatiently across the polished wooden floor of the Tendo Dojo. With each step, the sixteen year old martial artist grew angrier, her battle aura flaring brighter periodically as surges of anger cascaded through her. She turned sharply at the wall causing her father and Genma to scramble out of her way. She made her way along the wall scowling and muttering to herself.

"This does not look good, Saotome-kun," Soun commented to his longtime friend. Both men had been watching Akane pace about for half an hour now.

"I'm glad we grabbed a snack first, Tendo-kun," Genma replied and then in a lower voice continued, "I wonder where the boy went though?" His son and Nabiki had not yet returned from the market.

This particular set of events meant that Kasumi had delayed supper, much to their fathers' distress. Kasumi earlier had appeared unconcerned about the delay. She was confident that since Ranma was with her sister, they could handle any situation that might arise.

Of course, this just provoked Akane into a rant about HER missing supposed fiancé. Akane froze in mid-step then pivoted as the door to the dojo opened. Soun and Genma both prepared to flee but they relaxed when instead, Kasumi entered. "Minna, Tofu-sensei called. Ranma and Nabiki are at his clinic."

"Kuso! Did Nabiki pull that baka little kid stunt again?" Akane hissed, restarting her pacing. 'What is Nabiki's scheme?'

"Nabiki is fine, Akane-chan," Kasumi countered while frowning slightly. 'She sounded excited but concerned. Tofu said it wasn't Nabiki that needed tending to.' That had been relief. She wasn't near as anxious over Ranma's possible injuries as she would have been if had been her sister. She knew that Ranma had an extremely resilient constitution. "Tofu-sensei asked if we could come over and pick Nabiki up. Ranma-kun won't be going anywhere tonight." 'Although I get the feeling that Tofu-sensei wasn't telling me everything.' That bothered her for some reason. "Are you all right, Otou-san?" she asked.

"Of course, Kasumi-chan," he answered, "Did the good sensei say what happened?"

"Not really except that they met up with Shampoo on the way back from the market." The coed was startled when her little sister let out a shriek of fury and drove her fist through the dojo wall leaving a nice-sized hole behind. "Akane..." Kasumi scolded. 'Oh my... Now I'll have to call out the handyman again to fix it.'

# # # # #

Dr. Tofu Ono was descending the stairway from the upper story of his clinic when Akane and Kasumi Tendo stepped inside. He went over to them as they took off their shoes. "Arigato for coming, Tendo-san."

"Ne, Doc, are Nabiki and Ranma okay?" Akane questioned then complained. "Kuso! They were supposed to go to the market."

"You mentioned Shampoo as well, Tofu-sensei," Kasumi interjected as she stripped off her coat and hung it carefully on a nearby hook.

The young physician nodded. "Unfortunately, I had to admit Shampoo to the University Hospital. They are much better equipped to care for her. Her condition is stable. Cologne and Mousse have already been notified." He paused as if considering how to continue. "Nabiki is holding up remarkably well all things considered. She had a fright and was in shock when she arrived. I have her lying down right now resting."

Akane looked worried as she hung up her overcoat. "And Ranma?"

Tofu sighed. "Is a stubborn mule, Akane-chan." When both girls blinked, the young doctor sighed again before explaining, "He was lucky that Shampoo didn't completely sever his subscapularis muscle or worse. As it was, he took a deep laceration to his right shoulder that goes from the front to the back. He needed stitches, a unit of whole blood, and a tetanus shot but he refused to go to the hospital." He ended up sedating Ranma as a compromise to keep him from aggravating his wounds.

"Do you know what caused the fight?"

"I do," chimed in a new voice. Dr. Tofu whirled around and as the Tendo sisters moved forward to look. They saw Nabiki coming down the stairs wearing one of Dr. Tofu's hospital gowns. Her face pale and drawn. It was easy to tell that she had been crying.

"I told you to stay upstairs, young lady," he admonished his patient gently pointing his index finger at her.

Sniffling, Nabiki ran over and hugged Akane before bursting into tears. "Akane-oneechan!" she sobbed on her younger sister's shoulder. Akane hugged her back.

"It'll be okay, Nabiki," she soothed, trying to sound comforting.

After a little bit, the sniffling teen pushed herself away. "Gomen. I shouldn't be crying. I'm a big girl." 'Gomen Na-chan. I need to be strong for Ranma.'

"That's okay, Nabiki. I understand," Akane said soothingly. 'Maybe it's not an act.'

"You should be lying down, Nabiki," Dr. Tofu interjected. Then he handed her a tissue.

"I can do that at home, Sensei. Arigato." She wiped her eyes then blew her nose. "I'm okay now."

"What happened, Nabiki?" Akane asked, "I mean it seems strange that Shampoo would go after you."

Before Nabiki could answer, Tofu suggested, "First, minna, come and sit down before Nabiki falls down." He helped her over to one of the chairs in the waiting area. "I'll put the kettle on for some tea."

"Na-chan, are you really okay?" Kasumi asked hugging her sister.

"It... it was just really scary, Onee-chan," Nabiki said in a near whisper, looking like she might burst into tears at any moment. Letting go of the hug, she recounted, "One minute, we're walking home with the groceries talking and stuff and the next minute, Shampoo's running at us with a sword screaming '**Husband belongs to Shampoo.**'" Kasumi and Akane exchanged glances but didn't speak. "Sha-Shampoo wanted to fight me to the death." 'I still don't understand what I did.'

"NANI?" her sisters squeaked.

"Why would she want to do that, Na-chan?" the coed inquired.

"Shampoo knows you don't practice martial arts," Akane commented. "There'd be no way that you could take her in a fight." 'Even I couldn't beat that bimbo.' The youngest girl's eyes narrowed. "Didn't you try and talk her out of it, Nabiki?" That had always been her sister's forte.

Nabiki cast her sister a look of hurt indignation before answering, "Of course, I did, Akane! I couldn't get her to listen though. She was just going on about how I had dishonored her and her village and how '_Husband_' was hers and she wouldn't let Ranma-kun be married to a Tendo." She sniffled and her eyes misted over again.

Before Kasumi or Akane could think to ask anything else, Dr. Tofu came back carrying a tray. He handed cups of tea around and then sat down. "Do you have any idea what provoked Shampoo?" he asked his young patient. "Gomen but it's my understanding that Shampoo tends to ignore you pretty much. She must've been pretty angry to attack you and Ranma."

Nabiki considered, gave Akane a wary look, and then answered, "I think she thought Ranma was going to marry me." The others in the room blinked. Nabiki blushed.

"Why?" was Akane's only question.

The seventeen year old sipped her tea and considered how to tiptoe around the issue. "Me and Ranma were talking. I asked..." She blushed again. "I asked him if we could be _friends_."

"And what did he say, Nabiki-chan?" Kasumi asked before Akane could say anything.

"He said that we COULD be friends. Then we got talking about all the fiancées he's got and all. He pretty much said that he wished Shampoo would take off because he wasn't interested in her body and her cat curse creeped him out."

"He wasn't interested in her body?" Akane demanded with a snort, "Oh please." She hated to admit that the busty Amazon had her beat in that department. Nabiki was pleased to see the stunned expression cross her little sister's face when she told them how Ranma had responded to a similar comment.

Then the middle sister decided now was the time to drop the bombshell. "I think what got Shampoo mad was that Ranma-kun told me that he's made a decision about who he's gonna marry."

"Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed, her teacup clattering to the floor. Dr. Tofu seemed just as surprised because his own cup joined Kasumi's an instant later.

"It's you!" Akane accused.

"'Fraid not," was the seventeen year old's reply, "It's you, Akane-chan." 'I wish it was me.'

"Just how do you figure that, Nabiki?" Akane demanded shooting to her feet.

"Listen, Imouto, Ranma-kun saved my life. He saw that Shampoo wouldn't leave us alone so he accepted her challenge in my place. Both of them went all out. Shampoo must've been completely out of her mind or else Ranma would've had an easier time. Anyway, he got hurt. I'm not sure what happened next. I think he was trying to get the sword away from her but the pain from that cut made him overpower his Ki attack and it stopped Shampoo's heart."

"That's what I suspected, Nabiki-chan. Then you got the heart going again and brought her here."

"Hai. I remembered some from a CPR class I took after school back in junior high." 'Thank the Kami she didn't die.' How could she fault Shampoo for liking Ranma anymore than her own sister? "Then Ranma and I carried Shampoo here."

"That's all well and good, Nabiki, but how does that make me the one that Ranma is gonna choose?" the youngest Tendo asked curiously.

"Simple really," Nabiki explained like she was talking to Na-chan, "You remember the match with the Golden Pair?" Akane nodded. "Well Ranma-kun said that you were his fiancée and if what's-his-face touched you again, he'd kill him. Ranma's one of the very few people I know that would go to exceptional lengths to keep their word, Imouto-chan." Akane sat down abruptly appearing stunned.

"Akane-chan, perhaps you should reconsider what you had planned for today?" Kasumi suggested.

"Nani?" was all Nabiki could think to ask.

"I challenged Ranma to a match yesterday and..." The teenager looked slightly vacant. "Gomen, Nabiki. I was mad at him." Akane sighed. "Do you think I could see him, Tofu-sensei?"

"Hai, I'll show you the way." He got up and led Akane upstairs.

Nabiki squirmed as Kasumi gave her a long calculating look. "Nani?" the teen finally demanded.

"Na-chan, how do you know Ranma made a decision?"

"He told me, Onee-chan."

"Did he happen to tell you what that decision was?" Nabiki shook her head. 'This could be very good, or very bad.' Kasumi rose. "I'll see Ranma and then, we'll go home."

# # # # #

A short time later, Kasumi and Nabiki walked home together. The sun had set for the day. Akane had decided to remain behind at the clinic so she could talk with Ranma after the sedative worn off. They were perhaps halfway home when the coed asked out of the blue, "Na-chan... Nabiki, would you like to marry Ranma-kun someday?" Nabiki blushed and nodded. "You know if he does choose Akane..."

"I know, Kasumi-chan. We'll be friends. I won't try to stop them," Nabiki assured her sister. Then to get some revenge, she offered with as much innocence as possible, "'Nee-chan, did you know that Tofu-sensei fancies you?" The high school senior was pleased to see her older sister stumble and stop walking.

"Honto? Are you serious?"

Nabiki nodded. "You never noticed? Why do you think he goes all goofy around you?" Kasumi was giving her a look of disbelief so she added, "And if you touch him..."

"Nani?" Kasumi asked, eyes growing wide in alarm.

"Well, you know his skeleton '_Betty-chan_?'" Her sister nodded. "He starts dancing all over Nerima with it on his back."

"You're making that up, Na-chan!" Kasumi exclaimed, although she couldn't hide her blush.

"Gomen, Onee-chan," Nabiki began feeling bad for teasing her sister, "I just... I wasn't sure if you knew is all." She scuffed the ground feeling foolish.

"Arigato for telling me," Kasumi said smiling softly then winked at her sister. As they continued to walk, she inquired, "Ne, Na-chan, care to share any other juicy tidbits?"

"Errr... There's something else, Onee-chan, but I think I'd better not blab it, in case it lands Ranma-kun into even more hot water with Akane."

"Do you think I'd be that indiscrete, young lady?"

"Well no... But..." Nabiki sighed, took a breath, and declared, "Okay... P-chan is really Ryouga-kun."

"I see," was the only comment the eldest Tendo sister made.

# # # # #

Soun was poring over the morning newspaper enjoying the quiet of the household for once. 'I do feel bad for the boy,' he thought as he turned a page, 'But not having him and Genma hopping around shouting at the crack of dawn is a blessing.' The patriarch of the Tendo household glanced up as the panda beside him gave a deep weary sigh of despondency. "Missing the boy, Saotome-kun?"

"Iie!" read the sign. Genma-panda twirled it and the other side read, "I'm despairing at ever having the boy amount to anything!"

Before Soun could even think of a response, Kasumi glided into the room. She had a slight smile on her face. "Otou-san, I think you might want to step out to the dojo."

"Akane hasn't put another hole in the ceiling?" Soun speculated. The happiness that he had felt a moment ago drained away. A tiny spark of hope lingered however as she shook her head. "Well, what is it then, Kasumi-chan?"

Kasumi smiled a little more. "Oh, I think you should come and see, Daddy."

"Do you know anything about this, Saotome-kun?" Soun asked his longtime friend and was immediately suspicious when Genma somehow produced a large tire and started playing with it while holding up a sign that read, "I'm just a kawaii panda!" Snorting, Soun followed his eldest daughter from the room. As he approached the dojo, he became puzzled. "Is that Akane?" The coed nodded. "What is she doing?"

"Wait and see," Kasumi told him.

'Can't be that bad, ne?' Soun wondered and then regretted asking himself that. To stop his imagination from picturing anything horrendous, he said, "It sounds like she's teaching."

Kasumi only motioned him to go quietly up the stairs of the dojo. Upon reaching the top, he took a deep breath, held it, and then carefully slid the door open. He stood slack jawed at the sight of his middle daughter in a combat stance wearing a gi. The air in his lungs went out with a whoosh. Nabiki was sporting a blue belt that he hadn't seen in years and two small pigtails tied with white ribbons. Stepping up fully into the dojo, he spotted Happosai sitting off to one side observing as Akane also wearing a gi and black belt circled around her sister.

"Throw a punch!" Akane barked out. Her sister complied. Akane reached out, grabbed her older sister's arm, and made some adjustments. "Don't hide your thumb inside your fingers or you'll break it," the youngest of the Tendo Sisters remarked, "Kami-sama, Nabiki, you're really out of practice."

"Gee, really?" Nabiki asked, giving her sister a sidelong look, "And what does that make you compared to Ranma-kun?" Soun winced and started looking for new holes in his walls as his youngest swelled, turning red, and appeared ready to spit fire. "That's one of your weaknesses, Imouto," Nabiki offered in a neutral tone.

Remarkably, Akane deflated. "Nani?"

"She's right, Akane," Happosai agreed. He got up stretched a bit and then glanced to the door. "Ohayo Soun, Kasumi-chan."

"What do you mean '_she's right_', ojii?" Akane asked then added as an afterthought, "Ohayo Dad!"

"Ohayo Daddy," Nabiki echoed. She waved.

"You want to tell her?" Happosai asked and then when the seventeen year old shook her head, the old man continued, "Akane, anyone who has studied you as an opponent knows that you let your temper get to you." He smiled slightly as the young woman glared. "An opponent would take advantage of that. This is one reason that you have not advanced further in '_The Art._'"

"Ojii-san's right," Nabiki agreed. "Look at Kuno. He goes berserk unless you show him the honor and respect he THINKS he deserves."

"And I suppose you don't have any faults, Onee?" Akane hissed acidically.

Nabiki blushed and shuffled her feet. "Hai, I have them, Akane-chan. They just wouldn't affect the outcome in a fight with me 'cause I know the people who come after you and Ranma are completely out of my league. I also know my forte is words."

"Gomen, Nabiki-'neesan," Akane mumbled and bowed. Nabiki bowed back. "Is breakfast soon, Kasumi-'neechan?"

"It's almost ready, minna. You should come in, clean up, and get changed for school, Akane." The eldest Tendo sister gave Nabiki a long inquiring look. "And you?"

"Oh I'm staying put, Onee-chan," Nabiki replied. "I might go visit Ranma today later with you." The seventeen year old then bounced across the floor and gave her father a hug. Then she giggled. "I had to borrow one of Akane's gis 'cause mine didn't fight right." She was still in elementary school when she had last worn it. She found her gi neatly folded in the back of her bottom dresser drawer. Maybe she could donate them to a needy student for a charitable deduction. At least, her blue belt was still useable.

"How are you feeling, Nabiki-chan?" her father asked.

"Good Daddy!"

"Why did you need a gi anyway, Musume?"

"Oh, 'cause I was going to take up Ranma's challenge..." Nabiki gave her father a sheepish look. "Akane-'neechan was nice enough not to take me seriously. Lucky thing too." She giggled. "I don't think I would've lasted ten seconds."

"I formally withdrew the challenge and have told Saotome-san as much," Akane explained. She and Nabiki bowed to each other and then she headed out the door to cleanup before breakfast.

"So you were practicing?" Soun inquired. When his middle daughter nodded, he smiled. "So you're taking up '_The Ar_t' again, Musume? I'm so happy!"

"Well, I'm going to start. I don't plan on being able to pull moves like Ranma-kun or Happosai-sensei or even Akane does but NOT having any skill in the way of martial arts, especially around Nerima, is just plain silly." Soun grunted in agreement, gave her a hug, and left the dojo. "Onee-chan," Nabiki said to Kasumi, "Please I'd like to talk with Happosai-ojiisan alone." Kasumi nodded and left the dojo sliding the door shut behind her.

"What did you want to talk about, my dear?" the old master asked while taking a seat on the floor.

She sat beside him cross-legged and gave him a long look. "Happosai-sensei, this is a dojo and we need to start having students to provide positive cash flow."

"Indeed... I have had similar thoughts," Happosai offered. "Passing '_The Art_' to the next generation so on and so forth."

"Sensei, we have three issues though that are preventing this from coming to fruition."

"Nani?" the old man asked, looking nervous.

"The first is the simple weirdness factor. That'll take the longest to sort out." The ancient panty-thief grinned. "The second is the fact that we need Ranma-kun to teach. Otou-san is under the impression that you need to explicitly give Ranma permission."

"If he wants to teach the Anything Goes School, then I do have to as its founding master."

Nabiki bowed deeply. "Happosai-sensei, I ask that you grant Ranma Saotome the right to teach in the _Anything Goes School of Martial Arts_."

"What's in it for me, girl?" the old master asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Besides the fact that you eat, sleep, and use this place as refuge during your frequent crime sprees without contributing anything?" Nabiki remarked, eye cocked. The old man squirmed as the silence stretched. "Nothing."

"I won't then," Happosai stated and cross his arms stubbornly.

"That's fine, Sensei. I'll find him another school," the teenager mused. "He'll be happy to be out from under your thumb." She was pleased to see the ancient martial arts master get a look on his face as if he'd just bitten into a lemon.

"That brings us to the third issue - your groping of young women. If we want to have as wide a customer base as possible, Sensei, we need to attract both men and women students. Having you trying to grope anything over twlevewith a skirt and steal their lingerie will keep a significant demographic away."

"An old man has to have his pleasures, Nabiki," he grumbled then eyed her nubile figure lustfully.

"**YOU ****WILL**** STOP**," Nabiki replied sternly.

"Oh yeah," Happosai demanded, "Who's gonna make me?" He became alarmed when Nabiki gave him a feral looking smile. "You have to be reasonable, Nabiki-chan... I mean your father and Genma owe me! I taught them a lot!"

"I WILL protect my family, Happosai," Nabiki said dangerously. "You WILL stop your dishonorable activities or else, you will not be welcomed to remain under our roof anymore."

"And if I don't go?" the old letch asked, 'What's wrong with her? We had a decent business arrangement going.' "Well?" he sneered as Nabiki continued to look coolly at him.

"Oh, I won't stop you. You know that I don't possess the physical or martial arts skill to compete with you," the teen declared almost lazily. "However... I know somebody who would... for me."

"Who?" the old man demanded. His brain was frantically trying to think of someone who was powerful enough to pose a real threat to him.

Nabiki leaned in close and uttered one single name, "Kaji." The reaction was all she could hope for. Happosai leapt away shouting in terror as if he'd just been confronted with a set of smelly men's boxers.

"How, how..." Happosai stuttered looking wildly around.

"We're business partners, Happosai. Me and him. I won't force you to give me an answer right now since I'm hungry and breakfast is likely ready. But I promise you on my honor as a Tendo and a martial artist, I will do anything, make any deal he wants, if it means protecting my family and its future from you. You can stay here in this house as a guest, but you will be expected to act as a proper guest and martial arts master and not bring us dishonor."

"Soun will..."

"By all means go to Daddy," she interrupted. "I don't believe he'd support you over me in this matter." With that, Nabiki Tendo bowed to him then exited the dojo, all the while humming softly to herself.

# # # # #

Later that morning, Kasumi and Nabiki left the Tendo residence and started walking towards the clinic. As they walked, Nabiki kept nervously glancing over her shoulder. Finally, Kasumi asked, "Na-chan, what is it?"

"I don't know... I get this funny feeling that we're being followed, Onee-chan," Nabiki commented, "Not a creepy feeling. Just like somebody is... well... watching us."

The coed stopped and slowly turned, looking about; the street was deserted. "I don't see anybody." Even so, they increased their pace.

Some distance behind them, two figures stood on a rooftop watching the two young women move down the sidewalk. "Don't worry, little business partner," the old man mused, "I wouldn't hurt you for the world." The mass of dark tentacles next to him lifted and waved in a sad sort of way. "Stop being sentimental!" the demonic arbiter snapped sharply, "You're a demon, Mamoru." Mamoru made a rude gesture before asking a silent question. Kaji sighed and seemed to grow older. "Back to work for us, my old friend. This next case is going to be very ugly." The tentacle demon appeared concerned. "It's a rather grisly business, Mamoru-kun, very grisly." He glanced once more towards Nabiki. "Nabiki-chan seems to be all right now. Our employer seems happy enough."

And with that, both demons vanished.

# # # # #

Ranma Saotome was not happy. "Come on, Doc!" he complained as Dr. Tofu was redressing his wound, "I'm fine!"

"Ranma, stop being so pig-headed," the physician declared with some exasperation, "You're restricted from doing any sort of martial arts or other strenuous physical activity for at least a week, probably two." The young man gave him a sour look. "If I can't have your word of honor as a martial artist on that, then I'll ship you off to the hospital and make sure they keep you there under sedation until it heals properly."

"I never get any breaks in my life," Ranma complained and winced as the good doctor hit a rather tender spot.

"Gomen nasai, Ranma-kun. I'm almost done."

"Hi Ranma!"

Both men turned their gazes towards the door of the examination room to find Nabiki and Kasumi standing there. Nabiki started to move over to give the young man a hug but froze when she realized that he suddenly wasn't where he was supposed to be. She giggled at the sight of a teddy bear in Tofu's hands. Dr. Tofu just stared.

Ranma gave a nervous look towards Kasumi and then a pointed look at Tofu. "You know that I can be professional, Saotome-kun," the young doctor groused. Looking sheepish, the pigtailed martial artist gracefully sat back on the bed. Nabiki giggled again when Tofu made Ranma hold the teddy bear.

"How is he, Tofu-sensei?" Kasumi asked coming over to stand beside the doctor. She was mildly amused to see the wary look Ranma kept giving the other man.

"He's the bestest, ne?" Nabiki asked, hugging Ranma so she wouldn't get in the way of Tofu's work.

"You seem in good spirits, Na-chan," Ranma commented to the young woman.

"Hai! Akane-chan was practicing with me out in the dojo this morning," Nabiki reported happily, "I'm so out of shape!" She struck a pose and giggled as Ranma stared. "Not there. I mean when it comes to '_The Art_', silly." The seventeen year old resisted the urge to tweak Ranma's nose. "Gomen." 'Arigato Na-chan.' She giggled again and then sobered. "I'm just... It feels good to be back to something that I recognize as normal."

"Maybe YOU'LL be able to help keep Ranma away from martial arts for at least a week."

"He threatened me with the hospital, Na-chan," Ranma complained as if he was a little kid who'd just been told off for doing something wrong. "That's not nice, ne?"

"Not even training, Sensei?"

Tofu considered. "Perhaps, after three days or so, you can do some very basic stuff that doesn't require any use of your right arm or shoulder. But... Well, Ranma? Three days minimum. Nothing before that and I check you out again before then."

"I'll be good!" the young man protested, "Um, Doc, what'll happen to this when I change into a girl?"

The doctor considered. "Worse case due to your change in body mass and proportions, the bandages fall off and the stitches come out. Hopefully your wound won't reopen. I would recommend avoiding cold water for a while, Saotome-kun."

"Are you ready to go, Ranma-kun?" Nabiki asked.

"Hang on. I have to get dressed first, Na-chan. I ain't going home in this thing," was the young man's reply pointing to the hospital gown.

"Ranma-kun, you and Nabiki head home. I need to speak with Tofu-sensei for a moment." The two younger people exchanged knowing glances, and then Nabiki blushed, giggled, and looked thoroughly embarrassed at having done both.

# # # # #

Nabiki walked quietly beside Ranma. His left arm was through the sleeve of his shirt and the right sleeve was missing completely. His right upper arm was wrapped to restrict movement. She wanted to hold hands but it didn't seem appropriate considering what had happened. After a few minutes of silence, she said almost softly, "Ne, Ranma-kun?"

"Hmmm?"

"A-Are you going to tell my daddy what you decided?" He gave her a puzzled look and then after a moment nodded, looking serious. "Ca-can... I mean would you tell me now?" He regarded her and as he did so, she squirmed uncomfortably. "I'm not gonna spread it around. I promise. If I didn't go home, Kasumi would skin me alive." She looked around nervously for a moment. "Ne, Ranma-kun, I'm a little worried. I thought somebody was following me when me and Onee-chan were walking to the clinic. Now that I think about it, it might've been Mousse."

The pigtailed young man glanced about for a few moments and then shook his head. "I don't see anybody, Na-chan. I don't feel nothing either. I think Mousse is staying with Shampoo though." They walked in silence for a few more minutes and then the young man regarded at his companion and sighed. 'Na-chan is so different than Nabiki.' He had developed a new rapport. "Okay... I guess I can tell you. Just don't go blabbing it to anybody 'til I get our dads together, ne Na-chan?"

"Hai!" Nabiki felt her stomach twist into a knot. 'Here it comes, Akane.'

Ranma took a breath, started to speak, sighed, and then after taking another breath, declared, "I decided that I won't seek Kasumi's hand in marriage."

"Oh that's su... Nani?" The seventeen year old stopped dead in her tracks and stared wide-eyed at her companion.

"I figure this way, Na-chan. Kasumi can get herself hitched without having to wait around for me to make up my mind." He shook his head in resignation. "I just know it's gonna come down to Akane but I don't think either of us wants it."

Nabiki, after collecting her jaw from the ground, started walking again. "So you don't ever want to get married, ne Ranma-kun?"

"Oh I'll get married some day. Hopefully after I'm declared the best martial artist in Japan," Ranma mused. "Besides, I ain't ready. Pops don't even get the fact that I can't marry until I'm eighteen."

Nabiki blinked and then frowned slightly, "I thought that you only needed to be sixteen."

"That's for girls, Na-chan. You could..." She blushed. "But you gotta be eighteen if you're a guy." He cocked his head and gave her a quirky smile. "Besides, technically he needs my mom's okay if I'm under twenty." He gave her a hard smile then. "I don't really want my parents telling me who or when I should marry. Telling Pops we need Mom's permission keeps him from getting silly most times."

"And how do you know so much, mister?" the young woman asked him. "I mean you sound like you're pretty studied in this."

Here the young man beside her looked sheepish. "Otou-san gave me a book. Said I needed to know what the law in Japan would let me do once I got married." The brunette rolled her eyes at this. "My reaction too, Na-chan. But I read it to make him happy."

"Seems to have stuck," she offered dryly.

"If you were engaged, would you have read it?"

"Technically, Ranma-kun, I AM engaged."

"Honto? To who?"

"Ranma Saotome." He stopped in his tracks. "Well look, Ranma-kun, until you make your ultimate choice... whether it is one of us Tendos or not, I'm MORALLY obligated to keep myself available, ne?" 'That sounded good, ne Na-chan?'

"Oh..." He seemed surprised. He never believed that Nabiki actually took the marriage contract their fathers made seriously. "Guess I could tell Tendo-san that I don't plan on marrying either you or Kasumi, Na-chan."

'Iie!' "Which amounts to saying it'll be Akane, at least in their books."

"Agrrr!" Ranma growled as he gripped his head, "This is frustrating!" He considered. "I s'ppose I could just tell 'em I won't be seeking you as my wife. That would get you off the hook at least, Na-chan." 'I owe you that at least.'

Nabiki tried not to wince and then thinking quickly, she grinned. "Oh, don't do that, Ranma. You'd rob me of the chance to play matchmaker with Kasumi-chan."

The pigtailed young man snorted. "Not much work there. Doc Tofu's interested in her."

"I think," the young woman ventured, "That what Tofu-sensei and Kasumi have is something like you and Ukyo. You are her friend since childhood. She just doesn't get that you're currently not interested in her as a wife."

# # # # #

Nabiki Tendo entered the grounds of Furinkan High School on Monday morning feeling in fine spirits. The cold and wet weather had vanished over the weekend so that by the time the sun came up Monday morning the temperature was hovering around something like early spring.

The young woman looked around the schoolyard and spotted her friend Yuriko. Smiling, she walked towards her. When Yuriko spotted Nabiki, she came over quickly. "Are you okay, Nabiki-san?" her best friend asked. Nabiki nodded. "Is something up, boss?"

"Nani?" Nabiki asked as the two fell into step heading for the entrance.

"You seem awfully happy. Did you cook something good up?"

"I did help with breakfast, Yu-chan," Nabiki admitted serenely, "It was pretty good, although not as good as Kasumi-oneechan's. I need some more practice."

Yuriko gaped for a moment. "I didn't mean that, boss!"

"Nani?"

"Nabiki-san, I mean what new bookmaking scheme are you working on? It has to be huge for you to be smiling like a great white. Whatcha think it's gonna net us? 25000 yen?" Nabiki frowned slightly. "50000?"

"Kami-sama, can't I be happy without having a scheme going?" 'Was I that bad a girl?'

"I guess..." Yuriko responded doubtfully.

The teenager shook her head. "It was a very nice weekend." Seeing the concern in her friend's eyes, she explained, "I just had... Well, I had a lot of pressure on me before, um... certain issues to attend to. Things are much better now."

"Sugoi!" her friend declared. "Running the pools without you was hard. We didn't turn much profit, boss. Gomen nasai."

Nabiki waved it away and made a hard left towards the club bulletin boards. "So what clubs are you in, Yu-chan?"

"Yours," Yuriko commented, "It's the only one that brings in money that I can spend. My parents are such yen pinching misers." After a heartbeat, the young woman asked, "Why?"

"Because... I want to join a club."

Yuriko brightened. "Brilliant. Then we can charge membership dues and room and equipment rental and have a steady source, ne Nabiki-san?"

Nabiki stopped in her inspection of the Kendo Club poster to give her friend a hard look. "You need a visit with Kaji."

Yuriko perked up. "Who's he? Your new boyfriend?" One eyebrow rose inquiringly.

The teenager snorted, "He's a very old, VERY powerful BUSINESS acquaintance. My most recent dealing with him was quite profitable." 'Ain't that the truth, Na-chan?' Nabiki frowned then and added, "That reminds me, Yu-chan, what are the odds we have on the Shampoo pools?"

Yuriko looked stunned. "Why? What happened?"

"Let's just say that Shampoo isn't a contestant anymore. She's out of the running completely. But not before she drew first blood on Ranma." 'We should've turned a tidy profit.' Fights were determined by first blood or first fall. No one would have suspected it would go on much after that. Most bet on Ranma in a fight with Shampoo, even with the odds and her ten percent booking fee. When the young woman before her paled, Nabiki asked, "Nani?"

"Well..." Yuriko licked her lips and shuffled nervously, "Um... Nabiki-san, with the way that Ranma and Akane have been acting, I shifted the odds that Ranma would take Shampoo or Ukyo up. We have a lot of stuff spread out."

The young woman nodded. "Reasonable."

"I tried to call you, boss..." Yuriko complained, "Really I did."

Nabiki frowned. "I didn't know that. I would've been happy to talk with you, Yu-chan. Didn't anyone answer the phone?"

"Hai, someone answered all right," Yuriko grimaced. "Gomen, Nabiki, but your sister nearly took my head off... She's scary."

"I see... Akane can be that way."

"I was talking about Kasumi," Yuriko commented.

"Well, I think you should go take care of your little problem... NOW!" Yuriko vanished in the blink of an eye. Satisfied for the moment, Nabiki turned back to the club posters.

Her thoughts were interrupted a few minutes later when a new, unfamiliar voice intruded on her. "Sempai, are you gonna join a club?" The seventeen year old turned and saw a petite student before her. 'She must be a first year. She can't be more than 4'7" (140cm),' Nabiki guessed. 'And as skinny as a beanpole.' Both eyes and hair were mousy brown in color. Her hair was cut in a pudding bowl fashion and her eyes were hidden behind thin-rimmed glasses.

"I was. Have any suggestions?"

"Well..." She seemed nervous.

Before the poor girl could go on, Kuno's voice rang out, "Nabiki Tendo-san, I wouldst speak with thee!"

"What do you want, Kuno?" Nabiki asked, putting as much annoyance into her voice as possible. As usual, Kuno completely missed it.

"I wouldst speak with thee about photographs of my..."

"Camera's broke, Kuno." He blinked.

"I will purchase thee a new one, dear maiden."

"Kuno, the source has dried up." The look on Kuno's face was priceless. "I hate to break this to you, Kuno-chan, but your '_pigtailed goddess_' is engaged." The upperclassman looked as if he was going to have heart failure.

"Who is the black-hearted fiend?" He pulled out his Kendo sword. "I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, will smite him."

Nabiki shook her head. "You can't defeat him, Kuno-chan. It's tradition."

"Eh?" the young Kendoist asked.

"Her parents arranged the marriage just after she was born. It's family obligation." With that, Nabiki walked away. She sighed when she heard Kuno starting to blubber like a baby. Then she remembered the young woman. "Ne, come on and I'll walk you to class and we can talk about clubs."

Mousy brown eyes widened as their owner took in the imposing form of Nabiki Tendo. "Y-You're Tendo-sempai..." the girl exclaimed nervously. She had rapidly heard of this girl's ruthless reputation.

"That's me. Just call me Nabiki. I'm in 2-A. I didn't catch your name?" 'Kami-sama, she should be in junior high.'

"Oh... I'm... Aino... Yuzuyu Aino, Class 1-D." She bowed.

"Any relation to Sailor Venus?" Nabiki wondered. 'Na-chan!' she scolded herself and blushed slightly. She was thankful when she heard a giggle from Yuzuyu and the younger girl started walking down the hall.

"Only the kids ask me that, Nabiki-sempai." 'I wish I looked like Minako.'

"I'm a big kid, Aino-chan," Nabiki admitted.

"My friends call me Yuzu." 'They were wrong about her. She's nice.'

"Yuzu-chan, what's this club?"

"Oh, it's the Mentoring Club, sempai. I'm in it. Some of us who want to be teachers or social workers think that any practice we can get will help. I wanna become a teacher; the competition is pretty steep though."

"Honto?" Nabiki asked.

"Hai... Well if you want to work at a really good school it is," Yuzuyu explained. "So we worked out a deal with couple of the local elementary schools. We mentor the kids in subjects that they're having trouble with and go on their field trips and stuff, if it won't cause too much trouble for us."

Nabiki smiled. "Sounds good. It looks good on a resume, ne?"

Yuzuyu shrugged. "I asked around a couple of the sensei but they weren't so sure. I think that it'd be good practice for when I'm a teaching assistant. Besides, the kids are great. I don't have any younger siblings and it can be fun being their '_onee-chan._'" She giggled.

"Yuzu-chan, how many members do you have?"

"Five, sempai. We're trying to get more members though when the new term starts in April."

Nabiki grinned, "It sounds fun. What schools do you have arrangements with?" The seventeen year old had to stop herself from bouncing with delight when she got the answer. "I don't suppose I could join early, Yuzu-chan?"

"You'll have to ask the president but I don't see why not, sempai."

# # # # #

Despite having a massive amount of schoolwork to catch up on, her day went rather well. She had been concerned at first that Ranma was absent but Akane had assured her that SHE had gone to the clinic after getting accidentally splashed with water. Nabiki had been worried until Ranma had shown up at the lunch break, looking annoyed but other than the sling around his right arm, no worse for wear. Although several students were annoyed that it confirmed Ranma did lose to Shampoo in his most recent fight.

As the day ended, Nabiki, Akane, and Ranma left the school building together. As the trio headed towards the entrance, Nabiki described the club that she had just joined. Ranma was looking bored but was paying attention. Akane was looking dubious and when Nabiki paused for breath, she asked, "I didn't think you wanted to be a sensei, Nabiki."

"I don't want to work in a school, Akane, but you can teach on the job."

"I guess..."

As they reached the entrance to the schoolgrounds, Ranma declared, "Ne, Na-chan, we were going to go to Ukyo's. You wanna come?"

"Why are you going there? Didn't you get full at lunch, Ranma-kun?"

"Ranma's gonna tell Ukyo that he wants to be friends," Akane supplied. To tell the truth, she wasn't going to miss Ukyo or Shampoo chasing Ranma around.

"I thought Tofu-sensei said no fighting."

"That's why I'm bringing Akane along," the young man replied.

'Talk about an ego boost,' Nabiki thought but only shook her head, "Arigato for the offer, Ranma-kun. I think I'll go visit a shop or two first."

"You better call Kasumi," Akane warned her sister. "We don't want her sending the whole JDF after you just because you're a little late."

Nabiki rolled her eyes but pulled her cell phone from her school valise. Moments later, Kasumi's voice came on the line, "Moshi moshi, Tendo residence."

"Hi Onee-chan!" Nabiki greeted her sister. "Listen, I'm going to go antique hunting. I'll be back in time for supper."

"Are you sure that's okay, Na-chan?" Kasumi asked.

"Shampoo-tachi have gone back to China and as far as I know, nobody else is after me. If I don't show by suppertime, you can send Ranma-kun after me."

"Well just be careful."

"I will, 'Nee-chan. Ja!"

# # # # #

When Nabiki Tendo reached the address where Kaji's antique shop should have been, she found only a vacant storefront with a large "For Lease" sign taped on the window. She peered inside but couldn't see anything - it was empty. 'So you really have gone.' The young woman felt a little sad. She tried the door handle but found it locked. She was about to turn away when she noticed a white envelope that was addressed to her stuck on the inside of the glass door.

"Well, how am I supposed to get that?" Nabiki demanded. She gave a little yelp of surprise as the glass rippled and the envelope shot out as if it was fired from a cannon. She caught it with her hand and after glancing around to make sure nobody was paying any attention to her, opened it. Inside was a neatly folded piece of paper. It read:

Nabiki-chan,

I'm sorry to leave in a hurry but it's back to work for Mamoru and me. Gomen. I'm sorry that I won't be around to watch you grow up into a fine young lady, little partner. I would much rather do that, then what I must do now.

She could almost hear him sigh.

I suppose you would like to know why I did what I did. The short version is I was hired by someone who loves you and was concerned about your future. I owed this person a debt, a rather large debt, so I agreed.

"Me, too," the teenager whispered to the letter. She blinked. "Must be dusty. It's making my eyes bleary."

The longer answer, I am not able to supply. My employer demanded strict confidentiality. I'll miss you, Nabiki-chan (and little Na-chan too). I think Mamoru will miss you both as well. Enjoy life, Nabiki-chan, listen to your inner child, and have a good life.

It was unsigned but Nabiki didn't need to have one to know it was from Kaji. A few moments later, the letter vanished.

Sadly, she started walking home but smiled when in her mind a little girl about eight years old crawled into her lap and exclaimed, "Onee-chan! Let's play!"

"You bet," Nabiki answered the little girl and skipped the rest of the way home.

# # # # #

The single drop of rain plunged downward and smacked Nabiki dead center of the top of her head just as she had lowered her umbrella. The seventeen year old turned her gaze to the clearing sky and glowered at the cloud daring it to try the same trick again. Sighing, she tucked her umbrella under her arm, shifted her school case to the same hand, and then using her free hand scrubbed at the top of her head.

As she continued walking down the sidewalk towards the elementary school, the mid-May sunlight decided to come out from behind a cloud and sparkled on the water puddles scattered about the street.

Her stomach growled reminding her that it was lunchtime. 'You can just wait,' she told her tummy, 'It's Saturday and we're going to eat at home.' She smiled and looked up at the rapidly clearing sky as a stiff, slightly damp breeze pushed the clouds away. "The girls will be happy. They can play after they get their homework done."

Joining the Mentor Club at school had reaped a larger reward than she had suspected. The biggest bonus of course had been that she got to tutor Minako and Ruri in their school subjects. Both had turned eight since her time as _little Na-chan_. 'I wonder how Minako did on her math test this week?' She hoped the little blonde did well. It wasn't that Minako hated math, rather she just didn't have the attention span it took to really study the subject. For Ruri, it was just a matter of getting started but once the little girl got started, she'd plowed through it until it was done.

The middle Tendo daughter smiled proudly at the thought of her two little friends. 'It's paying off though, ne Na-chan?' she asked herself, 'Not only are you helping them out and getting to spend parent approved time with them, it's also helping out at school.' She felt herself smirking. 'Ranma is sweet though...' Nabiki had thought it prudent to explain Ranma's curse to Minako and Ruri's parents after the girls had witnessed Ranma's transformation firsthand, thanks in no small part to Happosai. The parents took it in good stride, although Nabiki suspected they chalked it up to Ranma being an exceptional stage magician. The teenager knew that's what Minako thought it was. Ruri however took it as fact. She had seen plenty such things in anime.

Nabiki was roused from her reverie by a small blur slamming into her legs. "'Nee-chan!" Minako cried, hopping up and down, and still hugging Nabiki's legs, "'Nee-chan, guess what!"

"Nani?" Nabiki asked, crouching down to look at the little girl.

"Look!" Minako squeaked, shoving a paper at her, "I got perfect 100!"

"Sugoi!" the teenager replied, "Well, you deserved it and worked really hard."

Minako nodded and then said, "And guess what else?"

"Hmmm?"

"Sensei put an extra question on the paper and said we could try it if we wanted to."

"And did you, Minako-chan?" The girl nodded. "And?"

"Sensei said I got it half right," the blonde replied happily.

"Well, that's really good." The teenager stood and moved down the short distance to where Ruri was waiting. "And how did you do, Ruri-chan?" Nabiki asked squatting down to see Ruri's face.

"Okay, Onee-chan, I got most of them right." Nabiki smiled.

"I told Ruri I'd help her," Minako commented, bouncing around. "Are we going to your house, Onee-chan?"

"Hai!" Nabiki stood and the girls fell in on either side of her as they walked.

"Nabiki-chan?" Ruri began, "Do you have an imouto?"

"Un, you met Akane."

"Iie, I meant... like us," Ruri clarified, tapping her chest.

"Just you and Minako... Why?"

"'Cause... you're cool, Nabiki-'neechan," Minako piped up. "She just doesn't wanna share."

"Do too!" Ruri protested. "But you know stuff about us." Stuff that only a close friend should've known.

"Ruri-chan, I told you. She's a grownup."

Nabiki thought Minako deserved the look Ruri sent her friend. Before the two third-graders could get into a fight over it, she confessed, "Well... To tell the truth, there is a reason. See a little while ago, I was in a different place and I was really little." The blonde snorted but her friend only stared wide-eyed. "And you and Minako were my bestest friends in the whole wide world."

"Honto?" Ruri looked up wide-eyed. 'I wonder if we were in the same class?'

"Oh come on!" Minako protested to Ruri after a few moments, "Nabiki's pullin' our legs!" She put her hands on her hips. "Just because we're kids, don't mean we believe everything we hear."

"Are you pulling my leg, Onee-chan?" Ruri asked. Doubt showed but she looked as if she wanted to believe.

"Nope."

The blonde snorted. "Oh come on, Nabiki-chan, how can a grownup be a little kid? My obaa-san is always wishing to be little again but it don't happen. Besides, we would remember it."

"Magic," Nabiki stated simply.

"Yeah, Saotome-san changes into a girl," Ruri pointed out and then giggled. She always found that funny.

"Oh please," Minako said while waving her hand dismissively, "He's just a really good allergist."

"I think you mean _illusionist_, Minako-chan." The little girl shrugged.

"Magic doesn't exist." 'I wish it did.'

"Girls, I can prove that magic exists," Nabiki offered after a few moments of thought. 'Arigato Na-chan.' When her young charges regarded her questioningly, she continued, "I'll need some time to prepare but when I'm ready, I'll ask your parents if you can come do a sleepover on a weekend." 'Na-chan owes you one.'

"That'd be awesome!" Ruri exclaimed happily.

"Pinky swear it, Onee-chan," Minako demanded and then grinned at Ruri's annoyed look but Nabiki swore to do as she had told them.

# # # # #

A little shy of three weeks later after the Saturday morning session, Nabiki, Ruri, and Minako stood in Nabiki's room in their respective school uniforms. Minako was looking dubiously at the mushroom that Nabiki was holding while Ruri was wrinkling her nose in mild disgust. Behind the trio on Nabiki's bed lay a girl's size 8 summer outfit and complete with underwear. She had found it in a box in the attic with Kasumi's help.

"Well, shortly, minna," Nabiki told her two friends, "I'll be eight years old. The same as you. We can spend the entire weekend playing once we finish up our homework." Minako rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Onee-chan, whatcha gonna do with that?" Ruri asked, pointing at the mushroom.

"Eat it," the teenager answered.

"Eew!" Ruri remarked then stuck out her tongue and making a gagging sound, "Mushrooms are gross."

Ignoring this commentary, Nabiki opened her mouth, took the thin mushroom eight centimeters long that Akane had acquired for her, and quickly ate it. The girls watched in marked anticipation. Nothing seemed to happen at first, and then their eyes grew wider as Nabiki started to shrink. Her arms vanished up the sleeves of her high school uniform, the fabric loosening as her chest deflated then shrunk. Her face started sinking towards the ground as her legs shortened only stopping when the top of her head was the same height as Minako's. Her face softened, taking on some baby fat. Her short pigtails grew longer to her shoulders. Although the younger girls could not see it, Nabiki's curves melted had away as she reentered childhood.

When it was done, a pigtailed eight year old grinned at her friends out of the pile of clothing. In a high-pitched voice, Nabiki Tendo declared, "Well, girls, whatcha think?"

"KAWAII!" Ruri exclaimed.

"Is it real?" Minako asked. She walked completely around Nabiki. There had to be some kind of trick to it. Only babies believed in magic.

"Yep!" Nabiki replied and wiggled free of pile of her school uniform leaving her naked. She kicked it out of the way and stomped on the floor. "See, minna," she chirped, "No trapdoors." She then went over and started pulling on the clothing she had laid out earlier.

"So what you told me and Ruri before was real?" Minako squeaked inquiringly. The cute former teen nodded. "Man!" She seemed disappointed but once Nabiki had dressed, the little ribbon-wearing blonde asked the former teen who could pass for their classmate, "Do we gotta do homework, Onee-chan?"

"Onee-chan? Call me Na-chan... As for homework..." Nabiki folded her arms and gave this some thought, "Well..."

"_PLEASE, NA-CHAN_?" both girls asked.

Little Nabiki grinned. "I know what we can do!"

"Nani?" Ruri asked.

Nabiki darted forward, tapped the two third-graders on the forehead, and shouted, "**TAG! YOU'RE IT!**" and then ran barefoot from the room.

"Come back here!" Minako shouted but Ruri was already running out the door. "No fair, Na-chan! We can't _both_ be it!"

"You're right!" Ruri agreed. Quickly doubling back, she tagged her friend and then ran giggling from the room, an enraged Minako in hot pursuit.

'I think,' Akane thought as she heard Minako, Ruri, and her new little sister frolicking through the house, 'This is going to be a very noisy weekend.'

Of course, Akane forgot that when she implemented her own age reduction adventure during the summer break. Kasumi enjoyed playing the role of mother to a nine year old Akane and a five year old Nabiki... but then, that's another story...

# # # # #

**Epilogue - Five Years Later**

**T**wenty-two year old Nabiki Tendo paused for a moment just inside the gate of the Tendo home and looked around. Nothing had changed since her last visit. She was clad very conservatively in a navy blue power suit over a white blouse and knee-length skirt. Her brown hair, which she kept in her now trademark pigtails, had grown almost midway down her back in the intervening years. She was well on her way to completing her MBA. Attending graduate school at a university in another city was a disadvantage because she couldn't stay at home. While Nabiki didn't mind it so much now, she enjoyed coming home during breaks and holidays. If she had time, she'd look up Minako and Ruri and see how junior high school was treating them.

Shifting her overnight bag to her other hand, she started walking up the familiar pathway that led to the front door but paused when she heard a noise. Listening, she could hear something that sounded faintly of giggling.

Puzzled, she pushed open the side gate that led to the yard and found the dojo ablaze with light. She was even more puzzled at the noises. She wandered over to the steps and was glad to see a recognizable person standing in the doorway.

"'Nee-chan," Nabiki called out.

Kasumi whirled about, grinning. "Oh Nabiki-chan!" she exclaimed and came down the stairs to hug her sister. "Gomen! I didn't know you had come in."

"Caught an early train... What's going on, Onee-chan?" Nabiki asked, trying to peer past her sister. Before the woman could answer, several shrieks of delight erupted through the open doorway.

"Um... Maybe you should just go see," Kasumi giggled.

Nabiki left her suitcase on the path, mounted the steps, and peered into the dojo. She felt her eyes widen and her mouth open slightly as she took in the sight of row after row of children sitting on the floor with adults lining the walls. All the kids were staring at the people on the raised platform, which was tucked into a corner. On it stood Ranma Saotome dressed in apparently authentic samurai armor and Akane. Upon seeing her younger sister, Nabiki bit her lip. Akane was dressed up in a white bunny outfit complete with long ears.

The room quieted as her father's voice started to speak, "And so, Sparkle-chan the Bunny stomped her great hind paw..." Here the kids provided the sound effects. "And the bad samurai fell down and was never seen again." Ranma, although no professional actor, knew how to make a fall look good and by the time he was done with his death throes, the children were cheering.

Shaking her head, the pigtailed woman turned around and regarded Kasumi. Her older sister grinned. "Go get unpacked, Na-chan. Once this lot is gone, we'll have some tea." Nabiki nodded and headed for her old room, occasionally snickering.

# # # # #

Nabiki was halfway through unpacking when Ranma showed up, still clad in his costume. Grinning, Nabiki walked over to him, wrapped her arms about him, and declared, "Konbanwa, tall, dark, and ancient."

"Hello yourself," he remarked, giving her a hug, but not escaping before she gave him a kiss. "You should have called, Na-chan."

"I'm a big girl, Ran-chan. I can get from the train station on my own." She grinned. "Now don't change the subject. Whose idea was that?"

"Your dad's," Ranma sounded pained, "He was trying to prove that not all martial arts is about beating people up."

"Hai, it's about big bunnies too..." she snickered.

"I suppose," Akane-bunny drawled from the doorway, "That I'm never going to hear the end of this, ne Nabiki?"

"You are kawaii but I think teasing Ranma is more fun," Nabiki commented and then gave her baby sister an evil grin, "Besides, I heard a rumor, USAGI-CHAN."

"Ne? Ne?" the twenty-one year old "_bunny_" asked, eyes narrowing.

"A-ka-ne's got a boy-friend!" the college coed sang.

"Baka! You promised you wouldn't tell!" Akane accused Ranma.

"I didn't!" he protested, holding up his hands, "Honest!"

"Well if you didn't, Ranma, who did?"

"Kuno," Nabiki supplied with annoyance. "He showed up at my dorm mourning your loss. The way he was talking, I thought you were dead or dying."

"I'm not but he'll be!" Akane raged.

"Oh don't worry, Imouto-chan. I took care of him for you."

"Um... Maybe I shouldn't really know, 'Nee-chan, but my sick sense of humor wants to so ne, what did you do?"

Nabiki grinned. "I told him that Azusa wanted to date him because she thought he was the coolest guy."

Akane cackled. "Oh, you are cruel, 'Nee-chan!" One of her ears drooped. "Oh, well I guess I should go change out of this baka thing. I'll see you both downstairs later." She winked and with that, she left the room.

'She's changed for the better.' Since Akane hit her second growth spurt and filled out, her attitudes matured as well. Nabiki smiled. "Is he a nice guy, Ran-chan?"

He nodded. "Very nice. One of the advanced students. Your dad introduced them." Ranma grimaced. "I had to protect him from Ryouga though."

"Speaking of old flames, Ran-chan," Nabiki turned to regard him. "Did you ever find anything out about Shampoo? We haven't heard anything from her since what five years ago, when they went back to China?"

"It's in limbo." The young man shook his head.

"Don't worry. I'm sure things will work out. No news on the Kasumi front, Ran-chan?" The young man shook his head. "I wish she'd find somebody."

"She's happy," Ranma commented while stoking one of Nabiki's long brown pigtails.

"Are you happy?" He just gave her a silly grin. "It's a beautiful evening. Can we go for a walk later?" Nabiki asked him.

"Hai."

"Good, Ran-chan, I want to talk about a couple of things."

"Ne, like what?"

"Oh... Like, how much I miss you and how I can sneak you back into my dorm room." She giggled impishly as Ranma blushed. Then before he could say anything, she took his head in her hands and kissed him gently, softly. 'Go to sleep, Na-chan.'

Nabiki snuggled against him and sighed in sheer bliss. It was nice having a fiancé.

The End of "_Innocence of Mine_"

# # # # #

**Authors' Afterwords:** (Doug Helm)

Firstly, a large thank you to those who took the time to comment. We appreciate them greatly!

An exceptionally long story, longer than we had initially planned actually. Ranma is generally blamed (fairly or not) for the chaos around him. I suggested to Will one time a story idea in which Ranma was not only blameless but quite unaware of most of the events.

I suppose Nabiki morphed to be the central character in this piece because I wanted to see Ranma take some revenge. Of course, it would have been too easy just to plunk Nabiki down into a super-brat kid and let Ranma be the disciplinarian of the family. We both found the way that we did this much more satisfying.

If you notice that our plots wander, well they do. We have a basic rough outline of where we're headed and then hand the reins over to the muse.

We're going back to our open concept original series to let our brains take a break.

Thanks again!

Douglas Helm  
November 2006

**Authors' Afterwords:** (Will Wolfshohl)

Like Doug, I would like to thank those of you who read the story especially those who took the time to comment. "_Innocence of Mine_" is our second Ranma ½ story. Our first being "_Just A Little Time_".

When Doug presented the kernel for this story after we finished "_The Storm_" (a Sailor Moon story), I was instantly hooked. How would the normally cool and calculating Nabiki Tendo cope with Kaji, a demonic arbiter, who could alter her and reality itself? What was his ultimate purpose?

Doug and I like to put characters through hell and then let them get out of it using their intellect, attributes, and wits leaving room for plenty of character development and a little fluff. We write the outline but the characters tend to have a mind of their own. We try to interfere as little as possible and act as conduits to relay their thoughts, feelings, and adventures to you. We hope we did a good job.

Thanks again and please read our many other stories at Shoujo Fiction.

"_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl  
November 2006

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


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